Chemistry of Life

Water's polarity and hydrogen bonding are not background facts. They are the reason life's molecules behave the way they do, and every unit after this one assumes you understand that connection. The four macromolecules are not a list to memorize; each one has a specific shape, and that shape is the direct result of chemical interactions you learn here. A protein folds the way it does because of polarity, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic interactions between its amino acids. Get the chemistry right here, and the rest of the course has a foundation.

8–11% of exam