Biochemistry is a branch of science that deals with the structure, composition, and metabolism of biomolecules found in different living organisms.
Iodine Test Definition Iodine test is a chemical test used to distinguish mono- or disaccharides from certain polysaccharides like amylase, dextrin, and glycogen. This test has a variation termed starch-iodine test that is performed to indicate the presence of glucose … Read more
What does Biuret test for? Proteins are the complex compound formed by thousands of amino acids. Amino acids are amphoteric electrolytes having carboxyl and amino groups that act like acid and base. It has one positive charge and one negative … Read more
Lipids definition Lipids are a heterogeneous group of organic compounds that are insoluble in water and soluble in non-polar organic solvents. They naturally occur in most plants, animals, microorganisms and are used as cell membrane components, energy storage molecules, insulation, … Read more
Amino acids constitute a group of neutral products clearly distinguished from other natural compounds chemically, mainly because of their ampholytic properties, and biochemically, mainly because of their role as protein constituents. An amino acid is a carboxylic acid-containing an aliphatic … Read more
Proteins are the most abundant biological macromolecules, occurring in all cells. It is also the most versatile organic molecule of the living systems and occur in great variety; thousands of different kinds, ranging in size from relatively small peptides to … Read more
Glycolysis Definition Glycolysis is the central pathway for the glucose catabolism in which glucose (6-carbon compound) is converted into pyruvate (3-carbon compound) through a sequence of 10 steps. Glycolysis takes place in both aerobic and anaerobic organisms and is the … Read more
What are carbohydrates? The carbohydrates are a group of naturally occurring carbonyl compounds (aldehydes or ketones) that also contain several hydroxyl groups. It may also include their derivatives which produce such compounds on hydrolysis. They are the most abundant organic … Read more
What is a peptide? A peptide is a short-chain made up of amino acid which, together with other peptides, forms a protein. The number of amino acids in a peptide can range from two amino acids to fifty amino acids. … Read more
Krebs cycle Definition The Krebs cycle, also known as the citric acid cycle or TCA cycle is a series of reactions that take place in the mitochondria resulting in oxidation of acetyl CoA to release carbon dioxide and hydrogen atoms … Read more
Electron Transport Chain Definition The Electron Transport System also called the Electron Transport Chain, is a chain of reactions that converts redox energy available from oxidation of NADH and FADH2, into proton-motive force which is used to synthesize ATP through … Read more
Eastern Blot Definition Eastern blot is a molecular biology technique that is used to detect post-translational modifications in proteins and the presence of components like lipids and carbohydrates. Eastern blot was discovered as an extension of the more popular western … Read more
What are ketones? Chemically, ketones are the organic compounds containing carbon, oxygen various carbon-containing substituents. Ketones consist of a carbonyl (C=O) functional group. In our body, ketones are the metabolic end products of fatty acid metabolism. What are ketone bodies? Ketone … Read more
Henderson Hasselbalch Equation Definition The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is the equation commonly used in chemistry and biology to determine the pH of a solution. This equation shows a relationship between the pH or pOH of the solution, the pKa or pKb, … Read more
Introduction Carbohydrates are organic molecules that comprise carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in the ratio (CH2O)n. There are three types of carbohydrates based on their structure and number of carbon atoms present, they are monosaccharides (simple sugar containing 3-7 carbon atoms), … Read more
There are generally two types of sugar namely reducing and non-reducing sugar based on their reducing property. All the monosaccharides are reducing sugars as they have free anomeric carbon in their structure (free aldehyde group or a free ketone group) … Read more
Cell membranes are selective barriers that separate individual cells and cellular compartments. Membranes are assemblies of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids held together by binding forces. Carbohydrates are covalently linked to proteins (glycoproteins) or lipids (glycolipids) and also an important part of cell membranes, and function … Read more
Plasma membranes must allow certain substances to enter and leave a cell, and prevent some harmful materials from entering and some essential materials from leaving. In other words, plasma membranes are selectively permeable—they allow some substances to pass through, but not … Read more
Biological membranes consist of a continuous double layer of lipid molecules in which membrane proteins are embedded. Although the lipid bilayer provides the basic structure of biological membranes, the membrane proteins perform most of the membrane’s specific tasks and therefore … Read more
Biological membranes consist of a lipid bilayer to which proteins and carbohydrates may be associated or covalently linked. Membrane lipids are lipids involved in forming the structure of biological membranes – both the cell membrane and intracellular membranes – and … Read more
Cellular Respiration Definition Cellular respiration is a metabolic process consisting of a series of steps to convert chemical energy (sugar) into a usable form of energy (ATP) in the cell. The reactions involved in cellular respiration are catabolic reactions that … Read more
Xanthoproteic Test Definition Xanthoproteic test is a biochemical test for the detection of amino acids containing phenolic or indolic groups like phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan (aromatic amino acids). The test is named Xanthoproteic test due to the formation of a … Read more