What is biochemistry, and how does it differ from the fields of genetics, biology, chemistry, and molecular biology?

"From so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being, evolved." - Charles Darwin

"Trying to understand the chemical processes of living organisms but having trouble metabolizing the complex concepts?"- Biochemistry DeMYSTiFied

To understand how biochemistry differs from the fields of genetics, biology, chemistry and molecular biology, one must first understand what is biochemistry.  An explanation of biochemistry was gathered from three different sources.

original photography by J. Russell (07-09-07)

1. "Biochemistry is the chemistry of living organisms.  Biochemists study the chemical reactions that occur at the molecular level of organism.  Biochemistry really reaches out and combines aspects of all the fields of chemistry."  Carbon is the building blocks of life on earth, so organic chemistry plays a large role in biochemistry.  If it is alive and kicking, there will be a biochemists who shall study it. (Moore,2008)

2.  "Biochemistry is the process of life.  A knowledge of biochemistry is essential to all students of the life sciences, including biology, genetics, health, nutrition and pathology."  A background in the study of chemistry is essential to understand how biomolecules follow basic chemical processes. (Walker, 2008)

3.  "Biochemistry describes the molecular nature of life processes.  Biochemistry is a multidisciplinary science answering the questions about "the molecular nature of life processes." (Campbell, 2008)

To see how biochemistry is different from the other fields of study, it is important to know what is studied in the aforementioned sciences.  Genetics is a branch of "biology that deals with the heredity and variation of organisms".  Biology is "a branch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and vital processes."  Chemistry is "a science that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and with the transformations that they undergo."  Molecular biology is "a branch of biology dealing with the ultimate physiochemical organization of living matter and especially with the molecular basis of inheritance and protein synthesis." (Merriam-Webster, 2010)

Now, to put these disciplines into some order, based on their differences in the fields of study.  Chemistry is the base of knowledge for the other life science studies.  It deals with the basic building blocks (chemicals) that compose other larger substances and their properties.  To understand how something functions, it is important to first understand the structure.  Biology studies how living organisms' structure determines how they function.  Genetics and molecular biology are branches of the larger subject of biology interested in inheritance.  Genetics studies how organisms gain their specific structures (genes).  Molecular biology attempts to organize the physiochemical structures of living organisms.  Ultimately, biochemistry integrates all the concepts in the other sciences into the study of biomolecule structures and how their makeup, in all living organism, define their chemical processes.  Chemical processes which ties all the life sciences together and brings this discussion full circle back to the base science of chemistry.

Works Cited

Campbell, M. K. (2008).  Biochemistry (6th Edition).  Belmont: Brooks/Cole,  Cengage Learning.

Merriam-Webster. (2010).  Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.  Retrieved February 2010, from Merriam-Webster Inc Web Site: http://www.merriam-webster.com

Moore, J. E. (2008).  Biochemistry for Dummies. Hoboken:  Wiley Publishing Inc.

Walker, S. P. (2008).  Biochemistry Demystified - A Self-Teaching Guide.  New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies.