Living organisms are distinguished by their chemical basis. Thus, knowledge of the properties of the elements and the interactions of the resulting compounds is a prerequisite for understanding biology.
Chemistry answers the questions of why, among the more than 100 elements of the periodic table (PSE), carbon and not silicon is the dominant element in biology and why precious metals, such as gold and silver, do not play a role. The PSE provides information about why phosphoric acid and not sulfuric acid acts as a bridge in polynucleic acids and why DNA had to evolve from RNA. At the same time, only chemistry makes clear why D-glucose is so central in building biopolymers such as cellulose and glycogen, and why the citrate cycle is logically self-contained and without alternative. Biochemistry is also a synthesis chemistry that differs from "man-made" synthesis chemistry "only" in terms of the framework conditions. Individuals are selected from the multitude of elements of the PSE and the almost infinite number of chemical compounds. The selection is based on the environmental conditions on Earth, such as moderate temperatures, preferably atmospheric pressure, solvent water and as primary reaction partner oxygen.
The hypothesis is developed that the guiding principle of modern biology, the theory of evolution, has its roots in the underlying chemistry. This turns Darwinism from its biological head to its chemical feet. For example, the effect of phenols as radical scavengers is a priori chemical, before biological phenomena could evolve from it as differences in distinction in colored flowering plants. The book develops a completely new, chemistry-centered view of "animate nature" and challenges a changed, biologically oriented didactics of chemistry in schools and universities.
Author(s): Armin Börner, Juliana Zeidler
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 233
City: Berlin
Preface
Introduction
Contents
1 The Periodic Table of Elements and Basic Consequences for the Structure of Natural Substances and the Course of Biochemical Processes
1.1 Elements of the Periodic Table
1.2 Biological Relevant Elements, the Singular Roles of Which can be Derived from Intrinsic Properties within the Periodic System of Elements (PSE)
1.2.1 Atom Radii
1.2.2 Ion Radii and Ionization Energies
1.2.3 Electron Affinity
1.2.4 Solubility in Water
1.2.5 Reactivity Towards Oxygen: Oxides, Hydroxides and Oxoacids
1.2.6 Electronegativity
1.2.7 Element-Element Single Bonds
1.2.8 Branching of Chains
1.2.9 Stoichiometric Valences, Element-Hydrogen Compounds, Molecule Geometries
1.2.10 Molecule Geometries as an Evolutionary Criterion
1.2.11 Hydrogen Bonds
1.2.12 Nucleophilicity
1.2.13 Oxidation Numbers and Oxygen Compounds
1.2.14 Ester of Inorganic Acids and Their Evolutionary Potential
2 Extrinsic Properties that Favor the Occurrence of Elements in Biological Context
2.1 The Frequency of Occurrence of the Element Concerned and Its Distribution on Earth
2.2 Reactivity Under Earth Conditions
2.2.1 Reactions with Water and the Electrochemical Voltage Series
2.2.2 The Role of Oxygen
2.2.3 Solubility in Water: Oxides, Hydroxides, Salts and Complex Compounds
2.2.4 Biocatalysis by Enzymes
3 The Derivatization of Inorganic Compounds with Carbon Residues
3.1 Water, Alcohols and Ethers
3.2 Ammonia and Amines
3.3 Carboxylic Acids
4 The Singular Properties of Carbon as the Basis for the Emergence of Life
4.1 The Redox Chemistry of Carbon
4.1.1 C–C Bond Formation Reactions
4.1.2 Dehydrogenation of Alkanes
4.1.3 Organic Peroxides
4.1.4 Alcohols
4.1.4.1 Possibilities of Formation
4.1.4.2 The Oxidation of Alcohols and the Formation of Carbonyl Compounds
4.1.5 Carbonyl Compounds—Aldehydes and Ketones
4.1.5.1 Formation and Properties of the Carbonyl Group
4.1.5.2 Reactions of Carbonyl Compounds
4.1.6 Carboxylic Acids
4.1.7 Carbonic Acid and Derivatives
5 From Chemical Structures and Individual Reactions to Complex Biochemical Networks
6 Determinism, Flexibility, and Contingency in Biochemistry
7 “Synthetic Chemistry” versus Biochemistry
Further Reading
