- The total biomolecules found in a cell is commonly known as cellular pool
- It consists of both inorganic and organic compounds.
The cellular pool consists of
-
- Water – 65%
-
- Inorganic materials
- Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen – 93%
- Major Metal elements – 5% (Na, K, Ca, Mg)
- Major non-metal elements – 2% (N2, P, S,Cl)
- Minor metal elements – traces (Zn, Mn, Mo, Co)
- Minor non-metal elements – traces (F, I, B, Se)
- Organic Materials
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Amino acids
- Nucleotides
- Nucleic acids
- Vitamins
- Proteins
- Inorganic materials
1. Water
- Water is the most abundant component in living organisms.
- Life on earth is inevitably linked to water.
- Water makes up 70%Â of human cell and up to 95%Â of mass of a plant cell
Function of water in living organisms
- Water makes up 2/3 rd of the body weight.
- Due to its solvent action, water forms an ideal medium for chemical reactions.
- Water is a reagent and is a source of H+ and OH– ions for many biochemical reactions.
- Water maintains molecular conformations and stabilizes structural organization of living matter.
- The high specific heat and mobility of water distribute heat uniformly throughout the body.
- Water helps in heat loss by convection and radiation from skin surface and plant surface.
- High latent heat of evaporation of water causes elimination of excess heat through evaporation of sweat and maintains a constant body temperature.
- Water helps in transport of substances within the body (of plants/animals) and elimination of waste products.
2. Inorganic Materials
The inorganic materials or minerals are of two types:
- Macronutrients – Required in larger amounts
- Micronutrients – Required in trace amounts
They are essential for the activity of enzymes.
- Manganese is required for activity of enzyme needed for synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoproteins.
- Molybdenum is necessary for fixation of nitrogen by enzyme nitrogenase.
The minerals found in animal body are
- Macro-Elements: Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Sulphur, Nitrogen and Magnesium.
- Micro-Elements Zinc, Molybdenum, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Iodine and Fluorine.
The minerals found in animal body are
- Macro-Elements : Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulphur, Potassium, and Magnesium
- Micro-Elements: Zinc, Manganese, Molybdenum, Boron and Chloride.