MBC 2101: BIOCHEMISTRY I (BIOMOLECULES)
VITAMINS: course outline
Classification, Structural formulas, Mechanism of action, their functions
and assay methods, Hyper- and Hypo-vitaminosis, Vitamins as co-factors
EXPECT
...
MBC 2101: BIOCHEMISTRY I (BIOMOLECULES)
VITAMINS: course outline
Classification, Structural formulas, Mechanism of action, their functions
and assay methods, Hyper- and Hypo-vitaminosis, Vitamins as co-factors
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
At the end of this course, the learners should be able to describe the
roles of vitamins in metabolism.
Biomolecules
Biomolecules are derivatives of hydrocarbons in which a variety of
functional groups replaces hydrogen atoms to yield different families of
organic compounds.
The ability of carbon to share electron pairs with other carbon atoms,
oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and hydrogen leads to a variety of organic
compounds.
Many biomolecules are polyfunctional; they contain two or more
different kinds of functional groups, each with its own chemical
characteristics and reactions.
Biomolecules mostly organized into macromolecules i.e. polymers of
high molecular weight assembled from relatively simple precursors.
o The polymers of amino acids are proteins,
o Carbohydrates are polymers of simple sugars.
o The nucleotides organize into nucleic acids, whereas
o Fatty acids and glycerol organize into triacyglycerides.
Biochemistry
A science that describes the structures and chemical processes that
define living organisms in molecular terms.
It provides explanations for ‘the molecular logic of life’ whose main
features include;
o The presence of a genetic coding system for self-replication and
perpetuation
o The strong link between the genetic information and biological
form and function
o The usage of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the universal carrier
of metabolic energy linking catabolic and anabolic pathways
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