--- title: Biochemistry description: Biochemistry examines the chemical processes and substances that occur within living organisms. Learners will understand the structure and function of biomolecules like proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, and how metabolic pathways sustain cellular life. category: health-medicine subcategory: medical-sciences difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/biochemistry --- # Biochemistry Biochemistry examines the chemical processes and substances that occur within living organisms. Learners will understand the structure and function of biomolecules like proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, and how metabolic pathways sustain cellular life. ## Available Resources 4 Books • 7 Courses • 6 Websites ## Websites ### 1. Biochemistry by OpenStax An open-access introductory biochemistry text by Kevin Ahern and Indira Rajagopal of Oregon State University, covering amino acids, protein structure, enzymes, membranes, metabolism, and molecular genetics in a conversational treatment aimed at undergraduates. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://openstax.org/details/books/biochemistry-free-and-easy **Tags:** biochemistry, open-textbook, metabolism, proteins, enzymes ### 2. PDB-101 The RCSB Protein Data Bank's education portal, built around Molecule of the Month articles, 3D structure viewers, and classroom activities. Users come away able to read protein and nucleic acid structures and connect molecular shape to biological function. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://pdb101.rcsb.org/ **Tags:** protein-structure, structural-biology, molecular-visualization, biochemistry ### 3. Osmosis Short animated videos with accompanying notes, flashcards, and practice questions on metabolic pathways, enzyme regulation, and molecular biology, organized for medical and health-science students who want visual review of biochemistry topics before exams. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.osmosis.org/learn/Biochemistry **Tags:** biochemistry, video-lessons, metabolism, medical-education, flashcards ### 4. biochemistry.org Biochemistry.org is an educational resource hub for learning biochemistry. It offers explanations of core concepts and metabolic pathways, along with tutorials, articles, diagrams, and study materials for students and educators. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://biochemistry.org **Tags:** websites, health-medicine, medical-sciences ### 5. khanacademy.org/science/biology Khan Academy Biology offers free, expert-led video lessons, practice questions, and quizzes to support introductory biology learning. It covers core topics from cell biology and genetics to evolution, ecology, and physiology. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://khanacademy.org/science/biology **Tags:** websites, science-research, biology ### 6. asbmb.org ASBMB.org is the official site of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, a professional society advancing biochemistry and molecular biology. It features society news, teaching and education resources, career tools, event information, and links to the ASBMB journals and publications. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://asbmb.org **Tags:** websites, science-research, chemistry ## Courses ### 1. General Biochemistry (MIT 7.05) **Author:** Michael Yaffe, Matthew Vander Heiden Biochemistry of cells and tissues with a focus on metabolism: enzymology, and the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and amino acids and its regulation. Includes 15 lecture videos and problem sets and exams with solutions; the first half runs separately as MITx 7.05x. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/7-05-general-biochemistry-spring-2020/ **Tags:** biochemistry, metabolism, metabolic-regulation, enzymology, bioenergetics ### 2. Biological Chemistry II (MIT 5.08J) **Author:** Joanne Stubbe, Elizabeth Nolan Macromolecular machines such as the ribosome, proteasome and polymerases, and fatty acid synthases as a model for polyketide and nonribosomal peptide synthases, stressing the experiments that revealed them. Includes 49 lecture videos, problem-solving videos, and problem sets and exams with solutions. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/5-08j-biological-chemistry-ii-spring-2016/ **Tags:** biological-chemistry, enzyme-mechanisms, macromolecular-machines, natural-product-biosynthesis, ribosome ### 3. Biological Chemistry I (MIT 5.07SC) **Author:** John Essigmann, Joanne Stubbe, Bogdan Fedeles Protein structure, enzyme catalysis and cofactor chemistry, then metabolism and its regulation: glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid synthesis and degradation, the pentose phosphate pathway, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Includes 44 lecture videos, problem-solving videos and problem sets with solutions. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/5-07sc-biological-chemistry-i-fall-2013/ **Tags:** biological-chemistry, enzyme-mechanisms, metabolism, protein-structure, cofactors ### 4. Biochemistry Free video and article sequence covering the chemical foundations of biology: atomic structure and bonding, why water's polarity matters, pH and buffers, carbon's bonding behavior and the structure of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Includes practice questions. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/chemistry--of-life **Tags:** chemistry of life, macromolecules, proteins, nucleic acids, water chemistry ### 5. Biochemistry: Biomolecules, Methods, and Mechanisms (MITx 7.05x) **Author:** Michael Yaffe, Mary Ellen Wiltrout, Darcy Gordon et al. Moves from buffers and the structure of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates to enzyme kinetics and mechanism, using real experimental data, PyMOL structure visualization and MATLAB problems. Learners can then reason quantitatively about how biomolecules function in health and disease. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.edx.org/learn/biochemistry/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-biochemistry-biomolecules-methods-and-mechanisms **Tags:** biochemistry, protein-structure, enzyme-kinetics, biomolecules, pymol ### 6. Biochemistry Nanjing University's Mandarin-language survey of structural biochemistry, covering amino acids and protein folding, nucleic acid architecture, enzyme catalysis and kinetics, carbohydrates, lipids, and hormone signaling. Students finish able to relate biomolecular structure to biological function. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/shengwu-huaxue **Tags:** courses, science-research, chemistry ### 7. Principles of Biochem HarvardX course pairing macromolecular structure with a biochemical view of cellular function. Covers protein function and enzyme kinetics, then major metabolic pathways and their regulation, working outward from red blood cells to muscle and liver, and links pathway disruption to human disease. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.edx.org/learn/biochemistry/harvard-university-principles-of-biochemistry **Tags:** courses, science-research, chemistry ## Books ### 1. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies **Author:** Jared Diamond Pulitzer Prize-winning analysis of how geography, agriculture, and domestication shaped vastly different trajectories of human civilizations worldwide. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393354326?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** book, humanities-history, history-&-societies ### 2. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry **Author:** David L. Nelson, Michael M. Cox Standard undergraduate textbook connecting biomolecular structure to metabolism and its regulation, building each topic from chemical principles with worked problems and experimental evidence. Readers come away able to reason through pathways rather than memorize them. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/071677108X?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, science-research, chemistry ### 3. Biochemistry **Author:** Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Gregory J. Gatto Jr., Lubert Stryer Comprehensive biochemistry text organized around molecular structure, catalysis, and metabolic logic, using evolutionary and clinical examples throughout. Working through it gives readers the ability to interpret enzyme mechanisms, pathway regulation, and the experimental methods behind them. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1319153933?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, science-research, chemistry ### 4. Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry **Author:** Robert K. Murray, Daryl K. Granner, Peter A. Mayes, Victor W. Rodwell Condensed medical-school reference presenting biochemistry through diagrams and clinical case notes, emphasizing pathways, enzymes, and disorders that arise when they fail. Useful for medical students who need to connect metabolic defects to patient presentation and laboratory findings. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071389016?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, health-medicine, medical-sciences --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/biochemistry