500438 - CHEMISTRY

courses

ID:

500438

Duration (hours):

62.5

CFU:

SSD:

BIOCHIMICA

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (01/10/2025 - 16/01/2026)

Course Objectives

The main objective of the course is to provide students with the main concepts of General, Organic and Propaedeutic biochemistry, knowledge that is essential for the pursuit of a profession in the health and medical field. The student will acquire a series of theoretical skills related to the structure of matter and its transformations that will lead him to deepen his knowledge concerning biological macromolecules and the chemical transformations they undergo within cells. At the end of the course the student should: - be able to write the electronic configuration of an element from its position in the periodic table; - be able to recognize and describe the different types of chemical bonds; - be able to recognize the different classes of inorganic compounds and be able to apply the correct nomenclature; - be able to perform simple exercises on calculating pH; - be able to recognize a buffer solution and be able to define its physiological importance; - be able to recognize an organic molecule by its functional group; - know the transformations organic compounds undergo, with a special interest in those that are biologically significant; - be able to recognize the main classes of biological macromolecules.

Course Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of chemistry acquired during secondary school.

Teaching Methods

Frontal lectures. Upon request, lecturers are available for clarification of the topics covered in the lectures. Lecture slides and further information are available on the KIRO platform.

Assessment Methods

The written examination consists of 30 questions both multiple choice and non-multiple choice on the stechiometry and on the theoretical aspects of general and organic chemistry and propaedeutic biochemistry. The test is considered passed with a score of no less than 18/30. Appropriate examination formats are provided for students who fall into the categories provided for Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Special Educational Needs (SED).

Texts

Katherine J Denniston, Joseph J Topping and Danae Quirk. General, Organic & Biochemistry. 11th Ed. 2022. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Chemistry course is divided as follows: General Chemistry 2CFU (Prof. Simona Viglio); Organic Chemistry 2CFU (Prof Livia Visai); Biochemistry propaedeutics 1 CFU (Prof. Nora Bloise) GENERAL CHEMISTRY (Prof. Simona Viglio) Elements and compounds. Atoms and molecules. Periodic table of the elements and electronic configuration; element valence and oxidation state. Intramolecular bonds: nature and polarity; molecular shape. Intermolecular bonds. Inorganic compounds: binary compounds of hydrogen and compounds containing oxygen. Nomenclature of inorganic compounds. Electrolytes. Acid base reactions and formation of salts. Aggregation states of the matter: definition of the solid state and description of the different types of crystalline solids. Definition of the liquid states. Vapor pressure and surface tension. Definition of gaseous state. Thermodynamical chemistry: how spontaneously large is the degree of conversion reactants to products? Enthalpy, enthropy and free energy. Chemical equilibrium. Kinetics: Collision theory, steric requirements, energetic factor and influence of concentration and temperature. Activated complex theory and activation energy. Catalysis. Solutions: definition, different types and qualitative and quantitative characterization. Thermodynamical considerations on solubility. Colligative properties: depression of the vapor pressure of the solvent and osmotic pressure. Acid–base equilibria: Broensted and Lowry's theory on acids and bases. Self-ionization of water. Definition of pH. Calculation of pH in solutions containing strong acids, weak acids, strong bases, weak bases and salts. Buffers. Oxidations and reductions: spontaneity and redox potential; electrochemical series; electrochemical potential; Nernst equation. - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (Prof Livia Visai) Organic Stereochemistry. Functional groups: nomenclature, structure and reactions. Hydrocarbons - saturated aliphatic and cyclic hydrocarbons: alkanes and cycloalkanes; unsaturated and aromatic hydrocarbons:alkenes, alkynes, aromatics and aromatic heterocyclic compounds.Alcohols, phenols, thiols and ethers: oxidation and reduction reactions in living organisms. Aldehydes and ketones and their importance in the biological field. Carboxylic acids and their acyl derivatives: esters and anhydrides; high energy compounds such as phosphoesters and thioesters. Aliphatic amines, heterocyclic amines and amides; examples of neurotransmitters. - PROPEDEUTIC BIOCHEMISTRY (Prof Nora Bloise) Monosaccharides: stereoisomers and stereochemistry. Lipids: fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids. Proteins: alpha-amino acids, peptidic bond. Nucleotides: biological roles , nucleic acids.