Christiana Jade G. de Castro BSN-1101: Reflective Essay

Christiana Jade G.
De Castro
BSN-1101
MC 101 BIOCHEM
Reflective Essay
After reading and listening to our first class, I was introduced to Biochemistry,
which was defined as the application of chemistry to the study of biological processes.
As a naturally curious person, the lecture caught my attention as it discussed the
overview of how we are all made up of cells, and how those cells have different
structures and functions that work together to serve a certain purpose. Science is not a
foreign subject to me, but it is a constant lesson that I am eager to study to fully
comprehend our complex lives. Biochemistry is one of the most interesting branches of
science as it explains the details of how all living organisms, especially our bodies, are
made up of billions of chemical reactions. I believe that biochemistry can be the step
and key to gradually changing the world, starting at a microscopic level.
Online classes are new to me, and I can say that seeing my block mates raising
their hands virtually wanting to answer was and is still strange. After two years of a
modular approach, this shift of online classes made me feel a sense of relief. Relieved,
because I saw the eagerness of my block mates to learn and it inspired me to also do
the same. The introduction of biochemistry was concise, I learned its history by the
summarization of its development and growth through the 17th century up until now. It
mentioned the cell theory by Schleiden, Schwann, and Virchow, the study of inheritance
by Mendel, and the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin which all happened in the
17th to 19th centuries. Many scientists have contributed to biochemistry but it all started
with Wohler when he initiated the synthesis of organic compounds to inorganic
compounds. It was also discussed how Louis Pasteur (1857) was the first to point out
the central importance of enzymes, and I heard that he was also the one who
discovered the method of pasteurization to prevent spoilage of food, specifically milk. In
the early part of the 20th century, it was when a sudden outburst of knowledge was
discovered for biological studies. It was also the century where the term "Biochemistry"
was introduced by Carl Alexander Neuberg, who was also known as the father of
Biochemistry. There were many discoveries and it is considered as exponential growth
in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology over the past two decades. Snell and
co-workers' research on recombinant DNA in 1980 paved the way, resulting in a new
field, genetic engineering. As a result, biology has progressed into biochemistry,
molecular biology, genetic engineering, and biotechnology.
It was also discussed how biochemistry has four types of biomolecules which are:
Carbohydrates, Lipids (fats), Proteins, and Nucleic acids. As I already know that cells
are made up of atoms and atoms are made up of elements, the elements of
biochemistry are divided into two: Essential and Secondary. The basic elements are C,
H, O, N, and the secondary elements are P and S. The biomolecules could be
memorized chronologically in a certain order to its corresponding elements,
Carbohydrates: C, H, O, Lipids: C, H, O, Proteins: C, H, O, N, and Nucleic acids: C, H,
O, N, P. Terms of biochemical reactions were mentioned too such as Oxidation,
Reduction, Hydrolysis, Phosphorolysis, Decarboxylation, Deamination, and
Transamination. The chemistry of organic compounds is determined by functional
groups which is a group of atoms that are different from C, while Heteroatom is an atom
other than C or H. By knowing the functional groups, you can classify the class, general
formula, and its common name. The lecture taught me that organic compounds can be
named through their carbon atoms and type of compound by knowing the prefixes of the
number of atoms. (e.g. 1 - meth, eth - 2, 3 - pro, etc.) The descriptions of compounds
were given and it is to identify how many bonds it can contain.
As biochemistry is defined as the chemistry of all living organisms, it includes cells as it

is the basic unit of life. It was shown in the presentation that Cytology is the study of
cells and as a former STEM student, I am quite familiar with Cell history. The Cell theory
was developed by Schleiden, Schwann, and Virchow but before them, Robert Hooke
was the first to see cells up close while Robert Brown was the one to discover the
nucleus. Cells have different shapes, and sizes which reflect a diversity of function.
There are two types of cells: Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic. Eukaryotes contain nuclei
while prokaryotes do not. The common example of a prokaryotic cell is a bacteria only
while eukaryotic cells can be classified into two: Plant and animal cells. Both kinds are
similar, except that animal cells do not contain centrioles and plant cells do not contain
cell walls, chloroplasts, and vacuoles. Cells contain organelles which are the
components that perform specific functions. There are numerous organelles but these
are what make up most of a cell: Plasma membrane, Nucleus, Ribosomes,
Endoplasmic Reticulum, Golgi Apparatus, Lysosomes, Centrioles, Cytoskeleton,
Mitochondrion, Chloroplast, Vacuole, and Cell Wall.
The presentation was easy to understand as the words that were used were
simple. I recalled most of the cell functions as it was a topic that I had already learned in
Senior High School. The illustrations were very useful as I was able to visualize the
parts of the cell. Although I am already familiar with Cell history, I needed a recap so I
can follow through with Biochemistry. The introduction to biochemistry was smooth-
sailing as the information that was needed to be understood was provided. I felt that
learning all of this information is not easy but it is not impossible. I was reassured that I
am capable of understanding the subject as long as I put effort into studying the
concepts and terms. Biochemistry is extremely important, according to what I have
learned from the lecture and discussions because it has already made and continues to
make numerous contributions to our lives by being used for a wide range of purposes in
health sciences. Again, I believe that biochemistry can be the step and key to gradually
changing the world, starting at a microscopic level.

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As biochemistry is defined as the chemistry of all living organisms, it includes cells as it

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