Essential chemistry for biochemists - PubMed
Amanda L Jonsson 1 ,
Article ImagesReview
. 2017 Oct 31;61(4):401-427.
doi: 10.1042/EBC20160094. Print 2017 Oct 31.
Affiliations
- PMID: 28951470
- PMCID: PMC5869253
- DOI: 10.1042/EBC20160094
Review
Essential chemistry for biochemists
Amanda L Jonsson et al. Essays Biochem. .
Abstract
Within every living organism, countless reactions occur every second. These reactions typically occur more rapidly and with greater efficiency than would be possible under the same conditions in the chemical laboratory, and while using only the subset of elements that are readily available in nature. Despite these apparent differences between life and the laboratory, biological reactions are governed by the same rules as any other chemical reaction. Thus, a firm understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry is invaluable in biochemistry. There are entire textbooks devoted to the application of chemical principles in biological systems and so it is not possible to cover all of the relevant topics in depth in this short article. The aim is instead to provide a brief overview of those areas in chemistry that are most relevant to biochemistry. We summarize the basic principles, give examples of how these principles are applied in biological systems and suggest further reading on individual topics.
Keywords: Chemical reactions; Functional groups; Non covalent interactions.
© 2017 The Author(s).
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that there are no competing interests associated with the manuscript.
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Further reading
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- Crowe Jonathan and Bradshaw Tony (2014) Chemistry for the Biosciences: The Essential Concepts, 3rd edn, OUP, ISBN-13: 978-0199662883
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- Keeler James and Wothers Peter (2003) Why Chemical Reactions Happen, OUP, ISBN-13: 978-0199249732
Advanced level texts
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- Keeler James and Wothers Peter (2013) Chemical Structure and Reactivity: An Integrated Approach, 2nd edn, OUP, ISBN-13: 978-0199604135
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- Bugg Tim D.H. (2012) Introduction to Enzyme and Coenzyme Chemistry, 3rd edn, Wiley, ISBN-13: 978-1119995951
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- Price Nicholas C., Dwek Raymond A., Ratcliffe George and Wormald Mark R. (1997) Principles and Problems in Physical Chemistry for Biochemists, 3rd edn, OUP, ISBN-13: 978-0198792819
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