Chemistry and Introductory Biochemistry

The learning objectives of the course are to provide
- the basic knowledge of general chemistry, organic chemistry including the structure and organization of living matter (structures and functions of main biochemical molecules), in view of future applications in biochemical chemistry and other disciplines of the degree course.
The aim of the module of Chemistry is to introduce students to
-the basic knowledge of the characteristics of chemical bonds, reversible processes, chemical equilibria and thermodynamics, the redox reactions;
- the key concepts of solution and related properties, of acid-base and of pH;
- the fundamentals of electrochemistry and thermodynamics.
The aim of the module of introductory biochemistry is to introduce students to
- the knowledge of nomenclature, properties, and reactivity of the main classes of organic compounds;
- the key concepts to identify the functional groups of biomolecules from the simplest components (monosaccharides, amino acids, nucleotides) to complexes (proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids);
- the key concepts of high energy molecules in metabolism, and of bioenergetics.

On completion of the course, the student should be able to
- explain the basic chemical concepts such as chemical binding, properties of solutions, reversible processes, chemical equilibria;
- know the fundamentals of electrochemistry and thermodynamics;
- describe the most important functional groups and their properties in organic chemistry and basic organic nomenclature including stereo-descriptors;
- identify the most common biochemical building blocks and describe the structure of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates and explain relationships between structure and function of these molecules and how their properties influence functions of these molecules in metabolic pathways;
- acquire an overview of the mechanisms that govern the transformations of the molecules and their correlation with the production and consumption of energy;
- understand the connections between chemistry and biology;
- connect and integrate the theoretical knowledge about different chemical and biochemical concepts and apply them to subsequent course of biological chemistry and of other courses in the degree program;
- expose and explain, in a simple but rigorous manner, the chemical and biological phenomena or processes that are the basis of life knowing that most of life processes are chemical transformations.