Putting It Together: Chemistry of Life

As we’ve just learned, chemistry is essential to life: we are all made of compounds and molecules. Think back to the beginning of this module, where we briefly discussed the term carbon-based life. In the video below, we’ll learn about why carbon is so essential to life:

Occupation Spotlight: Nutritionists

Let’s look back to our earlier occupation spotlight on the nutritionist. You should now be able see how an understanding of chemistry is essential to this job: a nutritionist needs to understand how the body builds complex molecules from the food a person ingests. A nutritionist also should understand how energy is used and moved about in the body. All this requires a basic understanding of elements, their structures, and how they interact.

Flashcards

It is tempting to view different topics as completely separate, but in fact the ideas we cover in this course are often connected to one another. If you don’t retain the vocabulary from module to module, those connections can be missed. As you continue on, remember to come back and review the terms you’ve learned in order to increase your depth of knowledge.