Cell Chemistry

The first article I read in this section dealt with a few different things that go on inside of

a cell. One of the question is what would happen to a cell with a low supply of energy? There are

many processes of the cell that will stop working but the most crucial step that will stop is the

rebuilding of the macromolecules. The cells macromolecules are constantly breaking down and

needing to be rebuilt, if the cell doesn't have enough energy to do this process the cell will get

run down and it will die. An interesting fact about the macromolecules in cells is that different

cells break down there macromolecules at different rates, the enzymes in your red blood cells

break down every couple of hours while cells like DNA and the proteins of the lens of the eye

will last a very long time and rarely degrade. The degrading of these molecules allow the body

to clean out the harmful intruders in the cell and prepare for other demands that the cell has

placed upon it. Another question that was asked was why do hydrophobic proteins tend to be

found in cell membranes? The best way to put it is because they are comfortable there. This

is because of the fact that hydrophobic things do not like water and a cell membranes are made of

lipids, which are fats which also do not like water, and lipids are attracted to other lipids which puts these guys in the perfect place. Also because of hydrogen bonding, water tends to remove

itself from fatty molecules unless they are charged or polar. Non polar solute molecules are driven together mainly because of the fact that water bonds strongly to itself and not because of

fact that they have a high affinity for each other.Frank Orme

No Publication Found

December