THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Chemistry : Chemistry

Undergraduate Course: Biological Chemistry 2 (CHEM08030)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Chemistry CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryA lecture course providing instruction in aspects of biological chemistry. A sound knowledge of chemistry is essential for understanding the structures, reactivities and interactions of biomolecules. The course comprises individual lecture series including biomolecular structure and chemistry, enzymes and biological catalysis, biosynthesis of natural products, the chemical biology of organic co-factors, and biological inorganic chemistry.
Course description The course consists of 30 lectures divided into five lecture modules outlined above. Each lecture module is geared to presenting the important basic principles (at a second year level) illustrating the relevance of these using typical examples. Each module course is followed by a tutorial/examples class session where problems arising from the content can be discussed. The laboratory course consists of five experiments which are designed to improve hands-on practical and analytical skills.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Chemistry 1A (CHEM08016) AND Chemistry 1B (CHEM08017) OR Biological Chemistry 1B (CHEM08023)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs Purchase of a laboratory coat.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  197
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 33, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 23, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 135 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 70 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 30 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Written Examination (70%) + Practical (30%)
Feedback Each lecture course unit has an associated small-group tutorial. This will provide students with practice at problem-solving and tackling exam-like questions. It is also an opportunity for students to discuss any issues pertaining to the lecture course. Feedback is also given for each of the 5 laboratory reports.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Appreciate how to expand their chemical knowledge as applied to biological chemistry through various modes of teaching and learning.
  2. Understand and describe fundamental aspects of biological chemistry across three broad areas (organic, physical and inorganic). Specifically understand the structure of biological molecules (including nucleic acids, lipids and proteins); the structure and function of post-translational modifications of proteins; the concepts of kinetics and thermodynamics and the use of enzyme assays to generate such data; the biosynthesis of natural products; the chemical biology of organic cofactors; biological inorganic chemistry.
  3. Take part in discussions in the tutorials and lab classes.
  4. Record, analyse and interpret experimental data and relate to core material.
  5. Carry out laboratory experiments safely across the organic, physical and inorganic areas. Prepare clear, well-structured lab reports. Use external material (www, books, research literature) to answer laboratory-associated questions.
Reading List
Any good biochemistry textbook; e.g. Stryer.
Organic chemistry covered by McMurry.
Post-translational modifications - book by Walsh - published review in Angewandte Chemie.
Kinetics/thermodynamics and spectroscopy covered by general chemistry text e.g. Blackman.
Reading lists pertaining to each course unit will be given by the lecturers.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills 1. Data analysis and processing (Origin, ChemDraw)
2. Written communication (lab reports)
3. Team work (lab)
4. Independent learning (use core lecture material to explore current research areas)
Keywordsbiological chemistry,synthesis and reactivity,enzyme kinetics
Contacts
Course organiserDr Mathew Horrocks
Tel: (0131 6)50 4787
Email: mathew.horrocks@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Morag Munro
Tel: (0131 6) 51 7258
Email: Morag.Munro@ed.ac.uk
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