biochemistry

Chemistry

2022

We explain what biochemistry is, its history and the importance of this science. In addition, the branches that compose it and what a biochemist does.

Biochemistry studies the material composition of living beings.

What is Biochemistry?

Biochemistry is the chemistry of life, that is, the branch of the science who is interested in the material composition of living beings. This science studies the elemental compounds that make up and allow the living beings stay alive: protein, carbohydrates, lipids and the nucleic acids.

On the other hand, biochemistry also studies the processes and chemical reactions that occur between these compounds, both in cells as in the organism. This set of biochemical reactions is called metabolism, when it comes to the transformation of compounds into others, catabolism, when it comes to the degradation of compounds to obtain Energy, and anabolism, when it comes to the synthesis of complex compounds from simpler substances.

Biochemistry exists as a scientific field based on the distinction of organic chemistry (the one that structurally leads carbon) and also the inorganic chemistry. This science considers that molecules that make up living beings are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur, molecules that in turn make up the cells, organs and organ systems that make up living beings.

It is an eminently experimental science, which resorts to scientific method, that is, to the verification of the experiments by means of numerous own instrumental techniques and also of other branches of science such as statistics and physics. His molecular understanding of life is, logically, a consequence of the development of the cell theory and the modern development of the physical, chemistry Y biology.

History of biochemistry

Modern molecular biology, among others, gave rise to many advances today.

Although biochemistry as such is a relatively modern field of knowledge, its antecedents date back to ancient times. A very old example and where biochemistry is reflected, consists in the process of making bread, when the yeast (fermentation).

But the very beginning of this discipline It is located in 1828, when Friedrich Wöhler published an article on the synthesis of urea, which showed that organic compounds, contrary to what was believed, can be produced artificially in a laboratory.

From then on the understanding of the substances that make up the body of living things grew exponentially thanks to the studies of Louis Pasteur, Albrecht Kossel, Wilhelm Kühne and Eduard Buchner in the nineteenth century.

The true revolution in biochemistry occurred in the second half of the 20th century, hand in hand with modern molecular biology. This occurred due to the advance in the development of experimental techniques such as chromatography, the centrifugation, electrophoresis, electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and others techniques rather, they are the result of scientific-technological advancement and the fields of chemistry and physics.

Thanks to all this, it has been possible to understand the cellular metabolic cycles, immunology, enzymatic functioning and the sequencing of the DNA, which allowed advances such as cloning of living beings, genetic intervention and gene therapies.

Importance of biochemistry

Knowledge of biochemistry is key to various applied fields of knowledge, such as biotechnology, medicine, pharmacology, agri-food and public health, among others.

This means that biochemical knowledge is key to understanding the diverse and complex processes that occur in life, which is, in turn, essential to learn how to protect and improve its quality.

Branches of biochemistry

One of the study interests of structural biochemistry is DNA and RNA.

Biochemistry comprises a huge variety of branches, which change and become more complex as the knowledge of chemistry and biology advances. Some of the most important are:

  • Structural biochemistry. He is interested in the molecular architecture of organic substances and macromolecules biological, such as proteins, sugars, or nucleic acids (such as DNA and RNA). One of its tasks as a discipline is the engineering (artificial assembly) of proteins.
  • Enzymology. It is dedicated to the study of the catalytic activity of enzymes, that is, its ability to activate, deactivate, accelerate, decelerate or modify in any way the chemical reactions that take place within the living organism.
  • Metabolic biochemistry. It is focused on the different metabolic pathways that occur in living beings at the cellular level, as well as all the chemical reactions that make life as we know it possible. It also includes bioenergetics, nutritional biochemistry and other more specific areas of study.
  • Immunology. It studies the chemical relationships that exist between the living organism and its pathogens, such as virus Y bacteria capable of causing disease. Its main focus is the immune system, a complicated network of detection and response relationships at the cellular and biochemical level of the organism.

What does a biochemist do?

A biochemist is a student of the chemistry of life. That means that among their tasks are the experimentation in medical, pharmacological and toxicological matters, since it specializes in the chemistry of the body and in the reactions that can favor or harm life.

In the industrial area, biochemicals are vital for the technology food, the hygiene and security. On the other hand, these professionals work on the fundamental basis of biotechnology, which is the branch of science dedicated to applying chemical and biological knowledge together to sectors such as farming, the cattle raising, pharmacology etc. Thanks to this, today it is possible to improve crops, design new drugs, produce specific foods for each type of farm animal, synthesize pesticides that are less harmful to humans and animals, among many other applications.

!-- GDPR -->