Site MapHelpFeedbackThe Chemical Basis of Life
The Chemical Basis of Life


<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::::/sites/dl/free/0072507470/234416/see7ch02.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (73.0K)</a>Chemicals compose the structures of the body, and the interactions of chemicals with one another are responsible for the functions of the body. Nerve impulse generation, digestion, muscle contraction, and metabolism can be described in chemical terms. Many abnormal conditions and illnesses, as well as their treatments, can also be explained in chemical terms. For example, Parkinson’s disease, which causes uncontrollable shaking movements, results from a shortage of a chemical called dopamine in certain nerve cells in the brain. It can
be treated by giving patients another chemical that is converted to dopamine by brain cells.

To understand anatomy and physiology, it is essential to have a basic knowledge of chemistry—the scientific discipline concerned with the atomic composition and structure of substances and the reactions they undergo. This chapter outlines basic chemistry (p. 26), chemical reactions and energy (p. 33), inorganic chemistry (p. 38), and organic chemistry (p. 41). It is not a comprehensive review of chemistry, but it does review some of the basic concepts. When necessary, refer back to this chapter when chemical phenomena are discussed later in the text.










Seeley/Stephens/TateOnline Learning Center

Home > Chapter 2