Chemistry 130OregonStateUniversity
Worksheet 11 NotesDr. Richard Nafshun
1.What are meant by the terms metabolism, catabolism, anabolism, and digestion?
Metabolism:
The total body chemistry. Metabolism is broken down into two parts—catabolism and anabolism.
Catabolism:
Degradation (breaking down of large molecules into smaller molecules). These are exothermic processes.
Anabolism:
Synthesis (building of larger molecules from smaller molecules).
Digestion:
Digestion is a complex process involving specialized anatomical and physiological adaptations for the absorption of nutrients. Its purpose is to prepare food for use by cells and organs throughout the body. Because large food particles cannot reach cells, the process of digestion breaks the food down into nutrients that can be absorbed into the blood stream and carried to any cell in the body. The methods of digestion are mechanical and chemical. Each segment of the digestive system has a special design to perform a unique function that is an essential part of the digestive process.
Digestion begins in the mouth and is completed at the anus. As food moves through the digestive tract, it passes through several compartments. Accessory organs that produce digestive enzymes drain their contents into the compartments at different points along the way. Each compartment and accessory organ serves a specific function. At each stage, the food is transformed into a slightly different form that allows it to be passed along to the next compartment. As it moves through the digestive tract, nutrients and water are extracted, producing waste. The waste products are eventually eliminated.
The coordination of functions is complicated. Signaling between the nervous and endocrine systems occurs at both the local cellular level as well as throughout the entire body. Through the process of digestion, food is transformed from large complex particles into basic elements that are then easily absorbed into the blood stream.
2.What are meant by the terms saturated fasts, unsaturated fats, poly unsaturated fats, omega-3 fats, trans fats, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and margarine?
Saturated fats:
Fats which have been hydrogenated to eliminate double bonds.
Unsaturated fats:
Fats which contain double bonds.
Poly unsaturated fats:
Fats which contain more than one double bond.
Omega-3 fats:
Fats which have a double bond located between the third and fourth carbon from the end of the carbon chain.
Trans fats:
The double bond in the fat is trans.
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil:
A vegetable oil which has been partially hydrogenated to remove double bonds. This process eliminates the double bonds but also converts some of the remaining cis- to trans-.
Margarine:
A product which usually contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Margarine is more solid like than oil because double bonds have been eliminated, allowing the fat molecules to pack better.
3.Sketch a fat, a carbohydrate, and a protein. Indicate how they are broken down.
The fat is broken down into glycerol and three fatty acids.
A carbohydrate is broken down into smaller sugars.
The protein is broken down into amino acids.