Episode 2 - The Chemicals of Life

Welcome to Episode 2! Today we'll go deeper to explore the properties of chemicals and biochemicals that worked together to generate the first life forms, nearly 4 billion years ago.
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[@tosvarsan5727]

This is absolutely outstanding, not only the content but how it is organized. Bravo!

[@marcinzych6011]

Please keep doing this series. By far the best podcast about biology on YT.

[@sharonphillips3341]

Just started watching these, and they are amazingly good. You are an excellent communicator. Thank you for making the effort to produce such wonderful content, and I hope you are able to continue.

[@fawzibriedj4441]

This podcast is very very good. The perfect level of granularity

[@jiribraun9263]

Informative, well constructed and relevant. Please keep on putting up the videos, they are super helpful!

[@ivetteramosvivas12]

Thank you so much. I'm from Mexico and i want to study biology but i need to improve my English. Your videos are helping me a lot.

[@blooky2243]

I'm from Brazil, I recently started to learn biology as well! Wonder how are your studies going hehe

[@Hecarim420]

Kitku

[@estefaniaficca5572]

Your intro remind me the intro of Vikings lol I don't know but the music it's quite similar.

[@aleksandra8075]

love your cat :D

[@donuts44830]

In the case of the carbon chain, why can't the oxygen atoms in water create polar bonds with the hydrogen atoms of the carbon molecule ? Like water does with itself ?

[@BiologicPodcast]

Great question! The answer has to do with the electronegative properties of the oxygen and carbon atoms. Oxygen is a highly electronegative atom, so it hugs shared electrons pretty close to itself. The electrons are kept away from the hydrogen atoms. This is what makes the hydrogen in water molecules relatively positively charged. The electron-hogging activity of the oxygen atom means the charge is not equally distributed across the molecule; it's polarized. Carbon is not nearly so electronegative, so it doesn't hug shared electrons that close. The electrons can be "closer" to the hydrogen atoms. This means that the carbon atoms and any hydrogen atoms bound to them, won't develop the partial charges seen in water molecules. The charge is more equally distributed across a carbon-based molecule. So you have a water molecule with partial charges due to the electronegativity of the oxygen atom, and a carbon-based molecule that doesn't have a charge. They don't form polar bonds because the carbon-based molecule doesn't have polarized hydrogens. It's analogous to putting a magnetic piece of metal on a non-magnetic piece of metal. They won't stick together because only one of them has the necessary electromagnetic properties.

[@donuts44830]

@@BiologicPodcast A very clear (and quick) answer. Thanks a lot ! I just started studying biology, first year at university, so it's likely that I'll have more questions^^

[@donuts44830]

Another question. : I don't understand how the Phophorus atom can create 5 covalent bonds in the phosphate group. Isn't phosphorus normally capable of making only 3 covalent bonds ? Really great video btw, real helpful.

[@BiologicPodcast]

Nitrogen can make three covalent bonds, but phosphorous can make five. This is partly due to its size. Phosphorous is a larger atom with a wider diameter and more valence electrons.

[@donuts44830]

@@BiologicPodcast right, but then I fail to see how the octet rule is respected here

[@BiologicPodcast]

This may be a bit beyond my ability to explain. I found this explanation, which you may find helpful: www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1rtim9/why_does_phosphorous_make_5_bonds_even_though_it/

[@karencreighton7939]

I did not realize until now that a cat’s butt is one of the elements 😊

[@psihijatrijakrmljam]

6:05

[@meusapontamentos]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉