Answers to previously posted trivia!

Answer to A Chemistry Puzzle…:

It’s a Ferris wheel!

Get it? If not go check out a periodic table.

Answer to Chem 240 Thinking Questions:

These questions were concerned with protein. You may be a wee past this subject in class, but it never hurts to practice critical thinking for the final. So, why doesn’t your hair dissolve in the shower?

Substances that dissolve in water are soluble. Water is polar, so soluble stuff must be polar/charged. Think of what happens to NaCl when it dissolves in water as an example. Okay, hair is made out of protein. What kind of protein? Fibrous. What does this mean? What kind of R-groups are located on the exterior of fibrous polypeptides? Hydrophobic R-groups! Put the pieces together, and the solution is quite simple.  Hair exposed to water is composed of hydrophobic proteins. Hydrophobic substances do not mix with water, and therefore will not dissolve.

Moving on to the next question…what causes the characteristic shape of RBCs in Sickle Cell disease? The condition is caused by a mutation of hemoglobin within RBCs. A hydrophilic amino acid is replaced by valine, a hydrophobic alternative. Why would this be significant?

Hemoglobin is a globular protein.  Polypeptides that fall into this category tend to harbor hydrophilic amino acids on their exterior, while hydrophobic are located on the interior.  Valine certainly would not be happy if situated among hydrophilic neighbors. It would much rather dwell among other hydrophobic R-groups. This amino acid moves toward the interior to find a more favorable position thus causing the characteristic shape known as sickle-cell. A protein’s function is dependant on its shape. Sickle cell alters the conformation of hemoglobin, thus compromising the ability of RBCs to take up oxygen.   

Here’s a bit of genetics trivia related to the topic discussed above:

Sickle cell anemia primarily affects African-Americans. The disorder has persisted within Africa’s continent for centuries. Why has natural selection not driven the extinction of this phenotype? In other words, what potential advantage does anemia provide to people dwelling within this area?

 

Let the web be your tutor….

-Molly Reid, Chemistry Content Tutor           

I found a great website on the internet called Nobelprize.org. It’s split into the various Nobelprize categories such as physics, chemistry, medicine and literature. The website is full of games, simulations and videos as well as readings on topics specific to that area.

            I was particularly interested in the chemistry section since I am a content tutor for chemistry 170. One the games had to do with chirality and mirror images. It was a mix of pictures all with a match somewhere in the board that was either chiral or not and the point was to pick out the images (example being your hands) that were chiral molecules. There were 2 cartoon snails on the screen that would explain why the picture you chose was chiral or not.

            This is not the only website of its kind. The internet is full of tools and interesting ways to learn and understand topics from any subject. There are even cliffs notes for chemistry that summarize the major points of a single topic. Reaching out and accessing these other resources can be useful if you are struggling to understand something explained in class or in the book, and some of these sites get really creative in the way they approach topics so it’s worth a shot!

Glycogen Synthesis and Degradation

 

-Christine Tetreault, Chemistry SI Leader

Hi Chem 240 Students!

Recently in class we were reviewing glycogen synthesis and degradation.  These are two important pathways that allow us to either store glucose or to get it back into our bodies.  I found a useful website that really helps to breakdown the pathways.  It also explains when we actually use these pathways, which is a common question that a lot of students have.  Hope this helps!

http://www.natuurlijkerwijs.com/english/glycogeen_metabolisme.htm

A Chemistry puzzle…

A fellow student introduced this puzzle to me in my organic chemistry class. I got a big kick out of  it- see if you can solve it. I’ll post the answer later this week. Good luck!      

     Fe   -   Fe
   /                  \
  Fe                 Fe
    \                 /
      Fe    -    Fe

CHEM 240: Thinking Exercises!

Succeeding in CHEM 240 takes more than learning the information covered in lecture. You have to know how to use information to answer exam questions effectively. Here are some exercises in doing so, I’ll post the answers later on.

1. Why don’t strands of your hair dissolve while showering?

2. What causes red blood cells to “sickle” in people suffering from Sickle Cell Disease? Why is that bad for the body?

Hint: Before jumping to any conclusions ask yourself this, “What do I have to know to answer this question fully?” I’ll explain more on that when I post answers.

Have a great weekend!