Chemical Methods in Biotechnology

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental knowledge required to interpret and predict the behavior of systems of chemical and biochemical interest. In addition, through practical and laboratory sessions, the course seeks to develop competencies in the most common basic and instrumental analytical techniques (electroanalytical, chromatographic, calorimetric, absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry) for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical and biochemical systems, as well as the ability to interpret the resulting data at a non-specialist level.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
understand and apply the principles of chemical thermodynamics and chemical kinetics;
explain the principles underlying the analytical techniques covered in the course and describe some of their applications in biotechnology;
apply simple experimental protocols and interpret experimental data, particularly those obtained during laboratory sessions;
interpret spectra and determine the structures of simple organic compounds using their ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectra (MS);
comment on and discuss equations and graphs presented during the lectures.