Biological Chemistry

Syllabus Content

The nature of matter

We will examine the concepts of atoms and molecules, their structure, mass and chemical and physical properties.

Electrons in pairs, orbitals and shells. Isotopes (stable and unstable). The formation of ions. the Periodic Table. Bonding; covalent and ionic. The structure of water, hydrogen bonding. Water as a solvent, hydrophobic and hydrophilic effects.

Reactions

We will look at chemical reactions, their direction, stoichiometry, catalysis, and energetics.

Balancing equations and stoichiometry. Activation energy and the effect of temperature and reactant concentrations on the rates of reaction. Enthalpy, entropy and free energy. Equilibrium, Le Chatelier and the role of 'free energy'.

Ionisation, water, strong and weak acids, bases, salts, pH, pK, titrations, buffers, indicators and the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.

Organic Chemistry

We will describe simple organic molecules and their reactions.

The tetrahedral carbon atoms, double bonds and p electrons. Resonance and conjugation, delocalisation of electrons and aromatic compounds. Electrophilic and nucleophilic groups and reactions. Functional groups:- biologically relevant properties and reactions of alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyl, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, anhydrides, amines, amides and esters. Conformational isomerism, stereoisomerism, optical isomerism and cis/trans isomerism. D-/L- and S-/R- nomenclature.

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This page was last updated by Martin Chaplin
on 19 December, 2004