Bio-organic chemistry

lchm1242  2023-2024  Louvain-la-Neuve

Bio-organic chemistry
3.00 credits
30.0 h + 10.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Elias Benjamin; Soumillion Patrice;
Language
French
Prerequisites
Concepts and tools equivalent to those taught in teaching units LCHM1111 and LCHM1141
Main themes
As an introduction, the basic notions of thermodynamics (enthalpy, entropy, free energy and equilibrium constant) will be reviewed by placing them in the context of biochemical reactions and processes.
Particular attention will be paid to the orders of magnitude related to these notions, as well as to the concepts of standard state and mean thermal energy.
Bioorganic chemistry will then be addressed around two main themes.
On the one hand, the families of basic bioorganic molecules will be described by analyzing, for each of them, the chemical reactivity and the physicochemical properties. The use of high energy bonds, which is very common in biochemical reactions, will also be widely described. This part of the course will aim to provide a good understanding of the chemical mechanisms that govern the formation and breaking of covalent bonds in biochemical processes.
In another part, the weak forces that govern non-covalent interactions in biomolecules will be described. The notions of protonation state and chemical equilibrium will be present throughout the course, as well as the description of the free energy quantities involved in chemical reactions and non-covalent interactions.
Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 The course is intended for second year biology students.
It is a cross-disciplinary course that aims to integrate basic concepts of general and organic chemistry, some of which have already been taught in the first year, into the context of biology.
By analyzing the reactivity and nature of organic functions found in biological molecules, the course will help to better understand biochemical processes and the underlying chemical mechanisms.
The course will focus on the formation and/or breaking of chemical bonds as well as non-covalent interactions.
Within this framework, the course will aim to highlight and compare the amounts of free energy involved in biochemical reactions and non-covalent interactions in biomolecules.
 
Content
1. Thermodynamic and kinetic reminders
2. Aromatic and heteroaromatic chemistry
3. Carboxylic acids and derivatives (Review)
4. Carbonyl derivatives - aldehydes and ketones
5. Redox reactions in Organic Chemistry
6. UV-visible and IR spectroscopy
7. Chemical kinetics
8. Catalysis
9. Coordination chemistry
10. Molecular oxygen chemistry
11. Concept of nuclear magnetic resonance of the proton
Teaching methods
The teaching takes place in person.
Evaluation methods
The theoretical teaching is completed by exercise sessions (10 hours).
The latter are an integral part of the teaching of bioorganic chemistry and constitute an inseparable part of it.
The final exam is based on the content of the course and the exercises.
It takes the form of a written exam that may include open-ended questions and multiple choice questions.
The establishment of the overall grade follows the following rule :
    - For any mark equal to or higher than X.50, the overall mark is rounded up to the nearest whole number (i.e. X+1)
    - For any mark strictly inferior to X.50, the overall mark is rounded down to the nearest unit (i.e. X-1)
Online resources
Essential course materials are available on the Moodle platform :
- Slides presented in the course
- Exercise session outlines
Bibliography
Chimie organique. Généralités, études des grandes fonctions et méthodes spectroscopiques. Nicolas RABASSO, Editions de Boeck
Chimie organique des processus biologiques. John McMURRY, Tadhg BEGLEY, Editions de Boeck
Teaching materials
  • matériel sur moodle
Faculty or entity
BIOL


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Bachelor in Biology