Organic & inorganic

1. Organic & Inorganic
Compounds

2. Organic & Inorganic Compounds
◦ Organic Compounds: complex molecules containing carbon
◦ Living things are made of organic compounds.
◦ They are the more complex compounds needed for life: sugars,
starches, lipids (fats, oils, waxes) and proteins, even fossil fuels are
organic compounds because they come from the fossils of things
that WERE living.
◦ Inorganic Compounds: substances that do not have carbon.
◦ They are often very simple compounds. Like N2(g), O2(g) or Baking
soda.

3. Organic & Inorganic Compounds
◦ All living things need nutrients to survive. Nutrients are the
elements and compounds organisms need to live, grow, and
reproduce.
◦ Macronutrients: substances that are required in large amounts
◦ There are 9 main ones: Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus,
Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sulfur
◦ (In fact, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen make up 99% of your
body’s mass!)
◦ Micronutrients: substances that are only required in small amounts.
◦ Examples are selenium and zinc.

4. Organic Compounds
◦ There are 4 main categories of organic compounds:
◦ Carbohydrates
◦ Lipids
◦ Proteins
◦ Nucleic Acids

5. Organic Compounds
Carbohydrates:
◦ contains C, H, and O atoms
◦ can form simple sugars or complex molecules
such as starch, cellulose, and glycogen.
◦ Example: Grains/bread, glucose

6. Organic Compounds
Lipids:
◦ contains C, H, and O atoms
◦ medium size CHO compounds in your body.
◦ Example: fats oils and waxes

7. Organic Compounds
Proteins
◦ (contains C, H, and O atoms)
◦ used for growth and repair, and a
source of energy.
◦ enzymes: catalysts that control
chemical reactions.
◦ amino acids: make up proteins.
◦ Example: Meat, Eggs, Nuts, Etc.

8. Organic Compounds
Nucleic Acids
◦ (contains phosphates, ribose, nitrogen
containing molectules)
◦ all cells contain two important nucleic
acids - RNA (ribonucleic acid) and DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid)

9. Inorganic Compounds
◦ We will talk about 6 inorganic macronutrients and how they help
plants and humans survive & thrive
Copy the chart on the next page!

10. Inorganic Nutrients Importance
Nutrient In Plants In Humans
Nitrogen (N) • In chlorophyll and plant proteins
• Leaf and stem growth
• In proteins & nucleic acids in cells
• Grow and repair tissues
Phosphorus (P) • Roots & flower growth
• Cellular respiration and photosynthesis
• In bones, teeth & DNA
• Many metabolic reactions
Potassium (K) • Starts growth of plant
• Moves sugars
• Diseases resistance
• Chlorophyll Production
• Muscle contraction & nerve
Magnesium (Mg) • In chlorophyll
• Photosynthesis
• In bones & teeth
• Helps absorb calcium & potassium
Calcium (Ca) • Cell wall structure
• Cell division
• In bones & Teeth
• Helps Blood Clotting
• Muscle & Nerve function
Sulfur (S) • Production of fruits and grains • Helps cells make proteins
• Enzyme activation
• Detoxification

11. Organic & Inorganic Compounds

12. What’s In The Air?
◦ Even Pure Clean air is made of chemicals:
◦ Nitrogen (N) 78%
◦ Oxygen (O) 21%
◦ Argon (Ar) 0.93%
◦ Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 0.03%
◦ Neon (Ne) 0.002%

13. Optimal Amount
◦ Optimal amount: is the balanced amount of nutrients an organism
needs for best health.
◦ Kind of like goldilocks. You want just the right amount of
nutrients, not too much but not too little.

14. Elements in our Body
◦ 99% of the atoms in the human body come from six elements:
◦ Carbon (nearly 12%)
◦ Hydrogen (62.9%)
◦ Nitrogen (nearly 0.6%)
◦ Oxygen (almost 24%)
◦ Phosphorus (0.14%)
◦ Calcium (0.24%)
◦ Remember: CHNOPC