Notice the ‘bio’ in front of biochemistry. It seems to indicate that this field is related to biology and chemistry. Biochemists use chemical principles to solve biological problems. Example: They study the composition of viruses, and synthesize macromolecules that are important to the human body, etc.
Chemistry is the study of chemical reactions and conditions. i.e, when something is a gas, a solid, or a liquid – or under what conditions Fe2+ is oxidized to Fe3+. A chemist can tell you what happens when you put solid sodium in water, the products of that reaction, and the change in temperature.
Ah, but biochemistry is far more complex and nuanced. It is the study of the chemistry of life. It involves enzymes, biological catalysts, biological systems, all of which are under the conditions of life. Let’s take something as simple as hemoglobin, something a chemist could tell you little about–
- Except for one small side chain and the core being iron instead of magnesium, the chlorophyll of plants is the same as hemoglobin;
- The iron core of hemoglobin deflects of its molecular plane when oxygen is absorbed, which changes it’s vibrational frequency, altering its appearance from blue to red;
- Oxygen is removed from the hemoglobin by reaction with acid, an amazing event because excess CO2 forms carbonic acid, decreasing blood pH, which triggers a faster release of oxygen from hemoglobin only in areas of high CO2 production. Exhaling CO2 in the lungs lowers the pH and allows reassociation of O2 with hemoglobin.
A biochemist will tell you metabolic pathways that iron related bacteria use to convert Fe2+ to Fe3+, from metabolism, to enzymes, to electron carriers, to enzyme kinetic orders. A biochemist can also tell you about the dozen or so compounds that have to stick to DNA to simply start the process of making a protein, then trace you through the steps to get a final protein – then what that protein is used for. A biochemist can tell why the Atkins Diet works the way it does and helps some people lose weight by eating meat and fat. A biochemist knows the complex chemistry of life, which is very different knowing what reactions occur in a jar.
March 9th, 2010 | 
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Notice the ‘bio’ in front of biochemistry. It seems to indicate that this field is related to biology and chemistry. Biochemists use chemical principles to solve biological problems. Example: They study the composition of viruses, and synthesize macromolecules that are important to the human body, etc.
I would have just said chemistry is way cooler.
Chemistry is the study of chemical reactions and conditions. i.e, when something is a gas, a solid, or a liquid – or under what conditions Fe2+ is oxidized to Fe3+. A chemist can tell you what happens when you put solid sodium in water, the products of that reaction, and the change in temperature.
Ah, but biochemistry is far more complex and nuanced. It is the study of the chemistry of life. It involves enzymes, biological catalysts, biological systems, all of which are under the conditions of life. Let’s take something as simple as hemoglobin, something a chemist could tell you little about–
- Except for one small side chain and the core being iron instead of magnesium, the chlorophyll of plants is the same as hemoglobin;
- The iron core of hemoglobin deflects of its molecular plane when oxygen is absorbed, which changes it’s vibrational frequency, altering its appearance from blue to red;
- Oxygen is removed from the hemoglobin by reaction with acid, an amazing event because excess CO2 forms carbonic acid, decreasing blood pH, which triggers a faster release of oxygen from hemoglobin only in areas of high CO2 production. Exhaling CO2 in the lungs lowers the pH and allows reassociation of O2 with hemoglobin.
A biochemist will tell you metabolic pathways that iron related bacteria use to convert Fe2+ to Fe3+, from metabolism, to enzymes, to electron carriers, to enzyme kinetic orders. A biochemist can also tell you about the dozen or so compounds that have to stick to DNA to simply start the process of making a protein, then trace you through the steps to get a final protein – then what that protein is used for. A biochemist can tell why the Atkins Diet works the way it does and helps some people lose weight by eating meat and fat. A biochemist knows the complex chemistry of life, which is very different knowing what reactions occur in a jar.