What is Biochemistry?
Summary
TLDRThis transcript offers an insightful overview of the biochemistry major, contrasting it with biology and chemistry. Biology focuses on living organisms and systems, requiring more memorization than math. Chemistry emphasizes chemical structures and involves extensive mathematical applications. Biochemistry combines these, with a focus on the chemical processes within living organisms. It includes core chemistry courses like general, organic, and physical chemistry, and specialized biology courses like metabolism. The major prepares students for careers in drug development and can also serve as a foundation for medical professions.
Takeaways
- 🔬 Biology majors focus on living organisms and biological systems, with less emphasis on math and more on memorization.
- 🧪 Chemistry majors delve into the chemical structures of substances, using extensive math and calculus in their studies.
- 🌐 Biochemistry is an intersection of biology and chemistry, requiring problem-solving and math skills to understand the chemistry of living organisms.
- 🧬 Biochemistry majors study macromolecules like DNA, RNA, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids in detail, unlike biology majors who look at a broader picture.
- 🔋 General chemistry courses for biochemistry majors include topics like the periodic table, the evolution of atomic understanding, and battery cells.
- 🧪 Labs in general chemistry help prepare students for future courses and potential careers in running their own labs or in industry.
- 🧪 Organic chemistry (OEM) for biochemistry majors involves learning skeletal structures and the creation of new compounds through various mechanisms.
- 📚 Physical chemistry is math-intensive, with biochemistry and chemistry majors learning the proofs behind general chemistry concepts, possibly involving calculus and quantum mechanics.
- 💊 Biochemistry courses like metabolism focus on the chemical structures and processes of carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids, and their roles in biological processes.
- 🧑⚕️ A biochemistry degree can lead to careers in the pharmaceutical industry or further education for roles in medical fields like becoming a doctor or pharmacist.
- 📚 Fourth-year electives allow biochemistry majors to choose between biology-focused or chemistry-focused subjects for a deeper understanding of their preferred subfield.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of a biology major?
-A biology major focuses on studying living organisms and biological systems at both the organism level, such as animals and plants, and the cellular level. It involves more memorization of concepts rather than problem-solving or math applications.
How does a chemistry major differ from a biology major in terms of math and problem-solving?
-A chemistry major involves more math and problem-solving compared to a biology major. Chemists use math extensively, including calculus and other mathematical formulas, to solve problems related to chemical structures and reactions.
What is the main difference between a biochemistry major and a chemistry major?
-While both majors involve problem-solving and math, biochemistry majors focus on the chemistry of living organisms, studying macromolecules like DNA, RNA, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids at a molecular level, whereas chemistry majors study chemical structures and reactions in a broader context.
What core classes does a biochemistry major typically take?
-A biochemistry major typically takes General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry, which are similar to the core classes taken by chemistry majors. These classes involve a significant amount of math and problem-solving.
What are some lab techniques that a biochemistry major might learn in General Chemistry?
-In General Chemistry, a biochemistry major might learn lab techniques such as predicting the amount of product in a combustion reaction, titrating an acid to a specific endpoint, and creating a cell to apply knowledge of ions and redox reactions.
What is the focus of Organic Chemistry in the context of a biochemistry major?
-In Organic Chemistry, a biochemistry major learns about skeletal structures of molecules, how to modify molecules to create new compounds, and the chemical composition of common nutrients like proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, and vitamins.
How does Physical Chemistry differ from General and Organic Chemistry for a biochemistry major?
-Physical Chemistry is more math-oriented than General and Organic Chemistry. It involves learning the proofs behind concepts taught in General Chemistry, potentially requiring calculus, and exploring topics like quantum mechanics and its applications in chemistry.
What are some biology courses that a biochemistry major might take to focus on molecular and cellular biology?
-A biochemistry major might take courses such as Metabolism, which focuses on the chemistry of biological processes like glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, providing energy to organisms.
How does a biochemistry major's education apply to the field of drugs and medicine?
-Biochemistry majors can apply their knowledge in the development and testing of new drugs, understanding how drug compounds interact with the body, which is a common application of biochemistry in the pharmaceutical industry.
What career opportunities are available for a biochemistry major who does not want to work in a lab?
-A biochemistry major who does not wish to work in a lab can pursue careers such as a quality control technician in industry or further their education to become a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or dentist, as the major satisfies prerequisites and provides a deep understanding of the biological world at a chemical level.
How can a biochemistry major customize their education through electives?
-In their fourth year, a biochemistry major can choose technical electives that are either chemistry or biology classes. For a biology lean, electives might include genetics, physiology, neuroscience, virology, and microbiology. For a chemistry lean, electives could involve bioorganic chemistry, marine chemistry, environmental chemistry, pharmaceutical development, and inorganic chemistry.
Outlines
🔬 Overview of Biochemistry Major
The first paragraph provides an overview of the biochemistry major, contrasting it with biology and chemistry majors. Biology focuses on living organisms and systems, with less emphasis on math and more on memorization. Chemistry, on the other hand, involves more mathematical problem-solving and the application of calculus. Biochemistry combines elements of both, with a focus on the chemical processes within living organisms. It requires a strong understanding of macromolecules like DNA, RNA, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. The paragraph also outlines the core classes a biochemistry major would take, such as General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry, which are similar to those taken by chemistry majors. Labs are an integral part of the coursework, preparing students for future research or industry work.
💊 Biochemistry Applications and Career Prospects
The second paragraph delves into the practical applications of biochemistry, particularly in the development and testing of drugs. It highlights the role of biochemists in understanding how drug compounds interact with the body. The paragraph also discusses career opportunities for biochemistry majors, including quality control technician roles in industry and the potential for further education leading to research or development positions. It mentions the relevance of a biochemistry degree for those interested in healthcare professions like medicine, pharmacy, nursing, or dentistry. The paragraph concludes by describing the elective courses available in the final year, which allow students to specialize further in areas such as genetics, physiology, neuroscience, virology, microbiology, or various chemistry subfields.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Biochemistry
💡Biology Major
💡Chemistry Major
💡General Chemistry
💡Organic Chemistry (OEM)
💡Physical Chemistry
💡Macromolecules
💡Metabolism
💡Drug Design
💡Genetics
💡Electives
Highlights
Biology majors study living things and biological systems at the organism and cellular levels with less emphasis on problem-solving and more on memorization.
Chemistry majors delve into the chemical structures of all things on the planet, using extensive math and calculus.
Biochemistry is similar to chemistry, focusing on the chemistry of living organisms with more problem-solving and math applications.
Biochemists examine the chemical composition of living structures in detail, unlike biologists who look at the broader picture.
As a biochemistry major, you'll take general, organic, and physical chemistry, similar to a chemistry major's curriculum.
General chemistry covers basics like the periodic table, the evolution of atomic understanding, and energy prediction in battery cells.
Organic chemistry (OEM) involves learning skeletal structures and creating new compounds through various mechanisms.
Physical chemistry is math-oriented, proving concepts from general chemistry and potentially involving quantum mechanics.
Biochemistry majors take biology classes focusing on molecular and cellular biology, understanding processes at a chemical level.
Metabolism courses teach the chemistry of biological processes like glycolysis, the Kreb cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.
Biochemistry has practical applications in drug development, where biochemists study how drug compounds interact with the body.
Biochemistry can lead to careers in quality control or further education for research and experimentation.
The major is suitable for those interested in healthcare professions like becoming a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or dentist.
In the final year, students can choose technical electives to deepen their understanding of either chemistry or biology subfields.
Biology-focused electives include genetics, physiology, neuroscience, virology, and microbiology.
Chemistry-focused electives encompass bioorganic chemistry, marine chemistry, environmental chemistry, and pharmaceutical development.
Transcripts
in the biochemistry major as you can
guess you'll take a mixture of chemistry
and biology classes if you're stuck or
confused between biology chemistry and
biochemistry here's a very quick
overview a biology major studies living
things and biological systems on a
larger scale at the organism level like
animals and plants and also at a
cellular level biologists at an
undergraduate level do much less problem
solving or math applications and instead
do much more memorization of various
Concepts St if your decision is between
these three but you struggle with math
biology is probably the best way to
go a chemistry major studies the
chemical structures of all things on the
planet chemists use much more math and
even sometimes apply calculus and other
math formulas to the problems at hand
there's more math and calculus used than
you would probably assume from a high
school chem class even if you took AP
chem now biochemistry is similar to
chemistry in that you will have more
problem solving and will have to use
math to solve problems but biochemists
look more at the chemistry of living
organisms biochemists have a much more
zoomed in look at different living
structures and what they consist of than
a biology major biochemists will have to
develop a significant understanding of
macro molecules such as DNA RNA
carbohydrates proteins lipids Etc
whereas a biologist looks at more of an
overall picture of those living
structures and how everything interacts
together but as a biochemistry major you
will be more related to a chemistry
major and will nearly take all the same
core classes as they will so an
undergrad in biocham is almost like an
undergrad in chemistry so as a biochem
major you'll take General chemistry
organic chemistry and physical chemistry
whereas you'll hear them called genem
OEM and PM each school May Vary but
likely each one of those will consist of
two or three quarters or semesters and
will take an entire year and these are
identical to what chem Majors take and
they will take up a majority of your
core
classes General chemistry includes
learning all the basics from if you took
AP cm in high school you'll learn the
periodic table the evolution of how the
atom was understood the ideal gas law
and so on you'll also learn how battery
cells work and you use equations to
predict their energy in general
chemistry you will perform Labs such as
predict the amount of product you'll
have at the end of a combustion reaction
or be asked to titrate an acid to a
specific end point another potential
General chemistry lab is you might be
asked to create a cell which will apply
your knowledge of ions and oxidation and
reduction reaction these lab techniques
are meant to help prepare you for future
courses in the major and ultimately
prepare you for if you were to run your
own lab or continue on into
industry in OEM you'll have to learn
learn and memorize lots of different
skeletal structures you'll learn what
these mean and you'll get into how to
change a molecule based on its structure
to create a new compound you'll learn
what many different commonly known
nutrition compounds are made of like
proteins amino acids carbs and vitamins
in the lab you can expect to perform
many experiments that build on your
lecture material for example you might
be asked to create a product given an
initial starting material and through
various organic chemist mechanisms
arrive at a final product you'll be
asked to predict the amount of product
you'll end up with and will also learn
that the more steps in a procedure the
more error you will have built into the
experiment then physical chemistry will
be much more math oriented you will
learn the proof behind Concepts taught
in general chemistry and you might have
to do calculus to do so depending on the
University so you will do much more math
as a chem or biochem major than you may
have expected you'll even get into
quantum mechanics and how it applies to
chemistry which is a physics topic but
with applications in chemistry one
example would be infrared spectroscopy
this can be used to identify and analyze
different chemicals by shining infrared
light on it which we can't see infrared
is what some remote controls use to turn
on your TV but using a device called an
infrared spectrometer you can analyze
the spectrum of the infrared light and
then you can use that to tell what the
chemical is
now where biochem differs from chemistry
is you'll take more biology classes that
focus on molecular and cellular biology
but you'll focus on how these processes
work at a chemical level as a biochem
major you will take courses such as
metabolism where you'll learn what
carbohydrates lipids and amino acids are
and you'll be familiar with our chemical
structures and how they relate to each
other in metabolism this is where you'll
focus on the chemistry of biological
processes
such as glycolysis the kreb cycle and
oxidative phosphorilation which are all
just cellular processes that provide the
organism with
energy a very common application of
biochemistry is drugs and medicine
biochemists work on developing and
testing new drugs to determine how these
various drug compounds interact with the
body if you major in biocham but you're
not interested in continuing your
education you can find jobs in Industry
such as a quality control technician
in this position you would be somewhat
Limited in what you're allowed to do and
would most likely be performing tasks
assigned you bi a superior that most
likely has a PHD many people who major
in Biochemistry continue in their
education to earn a master's or PhD and
that way they can create and perform
their own experiments or work on
Research other than drug design
biochemist study things such as how
altering gene expression can affect a
particular
organism now if Math and Science really
excites you but you would prefer not to
work in a lab biochemistry would be a
great major for someone interested in
becoming a doctor pharmacist nurse or
dentist because this major would satisfy
all your prerequisites and give you a
deep understanding on how the biological
World works at a chemical
level now in your fourth year you can
choose tech electives that either are
chemistry or biology classes and this is
another way where you'll be
distinguished as leaning more towards
biology or chemistry for the biotech
electives you can learn more about
genetics physiology Neuroscience
virology microbiology and more then the
chemistry tech electives include
bioorganic chemistry Marine chemistry
environment chemistry pharmaceutical
development inorganic chemistry and more
these are not the bulk of your courses
but are that little extra at the end to
get you a deeper understanding of one of
these subfields
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