Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)
Module CHEM2051: BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
Department: Chemistry
CHEM2051: BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
| Type | Open | Level | 2 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2023/24 | Module Cap | Location | Durham |
|---|
Prerequisites
- Core Chemistry 1 (CHEM1078) AND Mathematical and Experimental Tools required in Chemistry (CHEM1111)
Corequisites
- Chemistry of the Elements (CHEM2077) OR Structure and Reactivity in Organic Chemistry (CHEM2087) OR Properties of Molecules (CHEM2097) OR Inorganic Concepts and Applications (CHEM3097) OR Advanced Organic Chemistry (CHEM3117) OR Molecules and their Interactions (CHEM3137)
Excluded Combination of Modules
- This module may not be taken in the same year of study as Computational Chemistry (CHEM2061)
Aims
- To emphasise and expand undergraduates' application of chemical knowledge to biological systems.
Content
- Peptides and peptidomimetics: Structure and properties of natural amino-acids. Peptide synthesis. Peptoid chemistry.
- Sugars and lipids: structure and reactions. Synthesis. Biological role.
- Metals in biological systems: Bioinorganic chemistry of metals. Structure and mechanisma of selected metalloenzymes.
- Information retrieval.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Explain the importance of metals in life processes.
- Design and plan methods for the synthesis of oligo-peptides and saccharides.
- Have a good understanding of the structure and reactivity of amino-acids, peptides, sugars and lipids and their importance in biological chemistry.
Subject-specific Skills:
- Deliver a flash presentation in an area of relevant literature (a short 2-3-minute PowerPoint presentation on topic)
Key Skills:
- Written communication advanced through the use of essay type questions in lecture-support worksheets.
- Problem-solving developed through workshops.
- Demonstrate presentation skills.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Lectures are used to convey concepts and are examined by written papers. This is the best method to assess the knowledge of the students.
- Workshops are larger groups of students where problems are considered and common difficulties shared. This ensures that students have understood the work and can apply it to real life situations. These are formatively assessed.
- The presentation allows students to develop their presentation skills and communicate information in their own words.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 21 | 1-2 per week | 1 Hour | 21 | |
| Workshops | 3 | 1-2 per term | 1.5 Hours | 4.5 | ■ |
| Preparation and Reading | 174.5 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Examination | Component Weighting: 75% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Written examination | Two hours | 100% | Two hour written examination |
| Component: Presentation | Component Weighting: 25% | ||
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Presentation | 100% | 1 hour written examination | |
Formative Assessment:
Set work in preparation for workshops
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University