This document summarizes the key topics covered in Chapter 1 of a biochemistry textbook. It introduces the basic components of life, including the six most common elements in organisms, functional groups in molecules, and important biomolecules like proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids and lipids. It also describes the energetic and evolutionary foundations of biochemistry, cellular structures in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and how biochemistry integrates concepts from other disciplines like chemistry, genetics and physiology.