Article
Article
Biochemistry
Article By:
Hu, A. S. L. Department of Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
Last reviewed:May 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.081900
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The study of the substances and chemical processes that occur in living organisms. Biochemistry is a shortening of the term biological chemistry. It is a scientific discipline that investigates the chemical compounds and reactions that take place inside organisms. Biochemistry includes the identification and quantitative determination of the substances involved in organismal chemical processes, the determination of how these structures are synthesized and degraded in organisms, and the elucidation of the role of these structures in the operation of the organism. Some processes of particular interest are the metabolic conversion of foods to energy, cellular respiration (see illustration), the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, and the regulation of the chemical activities of cells and organisms. See also: Cell (biology); Cellular respiration; Chemistry; Energy metabolism; Metabolism
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