Chemical Forums
Specialty Chemistry Forums => Biochemistry and Chemical Biology Forum => Topic started by: pizza1512 on January 17, 2005, 06:36:33 AM
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What is the chemical formulae for blood? ???
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blood is a mixture of compounds.
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But it can still have a formulae...
::)
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A mixture of compounds can't have a single formula, do you mean the total composition of blood?
Blood is composed mainly of water, and various salts in solution, and the red blood cells, with lesser amounts of white blood cells, of various kinds, and platelets which bind with the protein fibrin to cause the blood to clot in tissue injury.
There are also various antibodies in there, which are different, from person to person.
(Heh, and in my case, I woul say that 99.9% of the time, theres some form of cannabinoid compounds liberally mixed in too ;D)
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it's almost the same question as asking what is a protein's (eg. lactoferin) chemical formula? Or what is DNA's chemical formula. We might know the Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine, Guanine, and their chemical composition, but much larger molecules are unknown. If we did then it would be easy to cure everything. Try searching for glycoproteins and see the extent of their composition.
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So not everything in the world can have a formulae?
>:(
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Mixtures can't though.
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Maybe this might help -
Chemistry and Biology work hand/hand. Cells are made of chemicals. Some may give a list of essential elements for life to exist. A common list is: CHONSP. Now this elements can help make a list of essential macromolecules necessary for life. A common list is: lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids.
When looking at the aboitic (non - living) and biotic (living) parts to a system, I have used a biomass formula. In a sense, these are the atoms necessary to produce biomass (living mass), which could relate to a chemical equation for cells.
106 CO2 + 16 NO3- + HPO4-2 + 122 H2O + 18 H+ (+ trace elements and energy) yields
C106H263O110N16P1 + 138 O2
the big molecular formula at the end is biomass. I don't know how to use the subscript yet. As for a source of this equation - I don't have the citation right in front of me - I had the formula in some work with nutrient flows in a system. An ecologist can look at this - especially water and see that an algal bloom (a whole bunch of algae growing) (biomass) is limited mainly by phosphates in a system. So, if phosphate runs off into a lake, one usually will see a whole lotta plants. One could also look at solid waste plants. Fecal matter (biomass in a sense) can break down by using microbes. In order for it to happen effectively, lots of oxygen is bubbled in the system. The microbes go through aerobic respiration and break down the biomass. If it is done with enough oxygen the fecal matter doesn't stink.
This is also why fertilizer contains phosphates and nitrates. Don't have to worry about the carbon, grass can fix it from air.
Again - this is a biomass equation, one might be able to relate to cells
savoy out