Chemistry
Code: 101023Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Microbiology | FB | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Silvia Mena Fernández
- Email :
- silvia.mena@uab.cat
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
Students must understand the essential Chemistry contents taught in the first and second of courses of Baccalaureate. As a reinforcement, they can take part in the "Química" preparation course offered at the Faculty of Sciences.
Objectives
It is an essential subject, since many of the vital processes that will be studied in other subjects of this Degree are explained using chemical formulation. Chemistry is, therefore, a basic tool to understand and develop other subjects of the Degree.
The objectives of the course are:
- To identify and be able to distinguish between an atom, a molecule, an element, a compound, and a mixture.
- To identify and understand what ions, major bioelements, and trace elements are.
- To identify the types of chemical bonds. Draw Lewis structures of chemical compounds and qualitatively predict their molecular properties from them (molecular geometry and polarity), as well as their intermolecular forces.
- Identify functional groups of biological interest.
- Describe the isomerism and chirality of molecules.
- Describe the fundamentals of chemical reactions and their application in biological systems.
- Understand basic concepts of thermodynamics and kinetics and be able to relate them to biological processes.
- Solve basic chemistry problems.
- Apply the basic principles of chemistry in experimental situations related to biological processes.
Learning outcomes
- CM03 (Justify how chemical processes respond to society's demands, care for the environment and combat climate change and its effects.) Justify how chemical processes respond to society's demands, care for the environment and combat climate change and its effects.
- CM04 (Integrate knowledge and skills related to chemistry to solve bioscience problems working individually and as a team.) Integrate knowledge and skills related to chemistry to solve bioscience problems working individually and as a team.
- KM05 (Define the basic concepts related to molecules.) Define the basic concepts related to molecules.
- KM06 (Define the laws governing chemical equilibrium, as well as the principles of thermodynamics and kinetics.) Define the laws governing chemical equilibrium, as well as the principles of thermodynamics and kinetics.
- KM07 (Identify the organic functional groups present in biomolecules and metabolites, as well as their spatial distribution and their influence on organic reactions in biological systems.) Identify the organic functional groups present in biomolecules and metabolites, as well as their spatial distribution and their influence on organic reactions in biological systems.
- SM03 (Interpret chemistry fundamentals to understand the molecular bases of biological processes.) Interpret chemistry fundamentals to understand the molecular bases of biological processes.
- SM04 (Properly manipulate chemical equations to equalise them and make stoichiometric calculations.) Properly manipulate chemical equations to equalise them and make stoichiometric calculations.
- SM05 (Apply the basic foundations of chemistry in experimental situations related to biological processes.) Apply the basic foundations of chemistry in experimental situations related to biological processes.
Contents
Block 1: The Chemistry of Life: Composition and Organization of Living Matter.
Topic 1. Chemistry as the Language of Microbiology. Chemistry and Biology. Chemical Composition of Living Organisms. Bioelements and Biomolecules. Matter: States and Properties. The Mole. Concentrations and Solutions. Gases in Biological Systems. Ideal Gas Laws.
Topic 2. Structure of Matter: Why Do Atoms Form Biomolecules? Elements, compounds, atoms, and molecules. Biological elements: major elements and trace elements. Ions of biological interest (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+/Fe3+). Relationship between the properties of elements and their biological function. The periodic table as an interpretive tool. Chemical bonding. Molecular geometry and polarity. Intermolecular forces.
Topic 3. Carbon and Biomolecules: Structure and Chemical Diversity of Life. Properties of carbon. Biological functional groups (alcohols, amines, amides, carboxylic acids, esters, phosphates, and thiols). Isomerism and chirality. Structure-function relationship. Introduction to the main biomolecules.
Block 2: The Chemistry That Regulates Life: Reactivity and Biological Processes.
Topic 4. Chemical Reactions: How Is Living Matter Transformed? The concept of a chemical reaction. Chemical equations and stoichiometry. Introduction to reaction mechanisms. Reversible and irreversible reactions. Homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions. Classification of reactions of biological interest: acid-base, oxidation-reduction, condensation, hydrolysis, and chemical group transfer reactions. Importance of redox reactions in metabolism and of acid-base reactions in physiology. Breaking and forming chemical bonds. Heterolytic and homolytic reactions.
Topic 5. Chemical Equilibrium: How Far Do Reactions Proceed? Reversible reactions and the state of equilibrium. The reaction constant and the reaction quotient. Le Châtelier’s principle. Factors that shift chemical equilibrium. Relationship between Gibbs free energy and chemical equilibrium. Importance of equilibrium in biological systems.
Topic 6. Thermodynamics: Why Do Chemical Reactions Occur? What Is Energy? Energy Transfer in Biological Systems. Enthalpy and Endothermic and Exothermic Processes. Entropy as the driving force of chemical change. Spontaneous and non-spontaneous processes. Gibbs free energy. Energy coupling in metabolism. Introduction to the role of ATP as a cellular energy currency.
Topic 7. Acids, Bases, and Buffer Solutions: Life in Aqueous Media. Water as a Biological Solvent. Acids and Bases. Concentrations of Acids and Bases. The Ionic Product of Water. The pH Scale. Acid-Base Equilibria in Biological Systems. Buffer Solutions and pH Regulation in Living Organisms.
Topic 8. Chemical Kinetics: What Determines the Rate of Reactions? The concept of reaction rate. Factors influencing reaction rate: concentration, temperature, and catalysts. Activation energy and collision theory. Integrated rate equations. Chemical and enzymatic catalysis. Factors regulating enzymatic activity. The relationship between chemical kinetics, metabolism, and the regulation of biological processes.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous | 25 | 1 | CM04, KM06, KM07, SM04 |
| Supervised | 1 | 0.04 | CM04, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04 |
| Supervised | 32 | 1.28 | CM03, CM04, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, SM05 |
| Supervised | 15 | 0.6 | CM04, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, SM05 |
| Autonomous | 56 | 2.24 | CM03, CM04, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04, SM05 |
| Supervised | 8 | 0.32 | CM03, CM04, SM03, SM04, SM05 |
| Autonomous | 9 | 0.36 | CM04, KM05, KM07, SM04 |
The development of the course is based on the following activities
Master Classes:
The teacher will give the basic contents related to the program and solve the questions of the students.
Problems:
Students will have to prepare the programmed problems at home and will discuss them in class with the teacher
Practices:
There will be two practices in the laboratory, which are mandatory, in which some of the knowledge acquired in the master classes will be applied.
Tutorials:
A tutoring class will be devoted to the nomenclature and others to solve doubts and to prepare the practices.
Challenges:
The challenges will be carried out through assignments on Moodle.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c) First written test | 30% | 2 | 0.08 | CM03, CM04, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04 |
| b) Laboratory experimental module | 20% | 0 | 0 | CM03, CM04, KM07, SM03, SM04, SM05 |
| d) Second writen test | 30% | 2 | 0.08 | CM03, CM04, KM05, KM06, KM07, SM03, SM04 |
| a) Individual and team challenges | 20% | 0 | 0 | CM04, KM05, KM07, SM03, SM04, SM05 |
Continuous Assessment
The continuous assessment of competencies is organized into 3 modules, each of which will have an assigned specific weight in the final grade:
- Challenges Module: Learning will be assessed continuously through the completion of small “challenge” exercises that will be assigned throughout the course. These challenges will be completed individually and as a team. This module will account for 20% of the final grade.
- Laboratory Module: A report on the mandatory laboratory sessions will be assessed. In addition, attitude (workmanship + lab notebook) and a pre-lab for each session will be assessed. This module will account for 20% of the final grade.
- Written Midterm Exams: will consist of two midterm exams, each with a 30% weight.
- Volunteer Work Module: learning and use of a free molecular nomenclature and drawing program will be assessed through an individual project. This module can be used to increase the final grade by up to 1 additional point.
In order to pass the course, students must earn at least 4 out of 10 on each of the two written partial exams, on the set of challenges, and on the laboratory practices. The course will be considered passed when the average of the modules is equal to or greater than 5 out of 10.
Students who do not pass the module assessments can retake them on the scheduled date at the end of the semester. To retake the assessments, students are required to sit for both partial exams.
Students who pass the course may improve their grade from the partial exams by taking the make-up exam. This improvement will be considered as long as the recovery grade is higher than the grade obtained in the module average. If the recovery grade is equal to or less than the average grade by less than 1 point, the average grade will be kept. If the recovery grade is lower than the average grade by 1 point or more, the final grade will be considered the average of the two grades.
Students who do not achieve the minimum required grade to pass any of the written partial exams, the challenge module, or the Laboratory module will fail the course. In this case, the maximum final grade will be a 4.
Starting with the second enrollment in the course, students will not be required to complete the laboratory module or the challenges module if they met the competencies for those parts of the course in the previous semester.
A student will receive a “Not Graded” grade when the number of assessment activities completed is less than 66% of those scheduled for the course (the challenges, the three exams, and the two lab sessions).
Single Assessment
Students who have opted for the single assessment mode will have to take a final exam and a “written assignment.” However, they must submit the reports from the mandatory practicals at the end of each one, along with the students on the continuous assessment track. The final exam will consist of a theory and problem-solving test where students will have to solve a series of exercises similar to those worked on in the Classroom Practice sessions. Once they have finished, they will submit the report for the “Written Assignments” module, which will have been made available online at some point during the course.
To pass the course, students must earn at least 4 out of 10 on each of the three activities: the final exam, the written assignment, and the lab exercises.
The student's grade will be the weighted average of the three activities, where the theory and problems exam will account for 60% of the grade, the Laboratory Practices for 20%, and the Written Assignments module report for 20%.
If the final grade is below 5, the student will have another opportunity to pass the course through a make-up exam, which will be held on a date set by the Degree Program Coordinator. The content of this exam will be the same as that of the final exam.
Starting with the second enrollment in the course, the student will not be required to complete the lab practicals or the written assignment if they had already met the competencies for those parts of the course in the previous semester.
IA utilization:
For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction, or translations... Or challenges where the instructor clearly indicates that its use is permitted. The student must clearly identify which parts were generated with this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. Failure to be transparent about the use of AI in this graded activity will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and may result in a partial or full penalty on the activity's grade, or more severe sanctions in more serious cases.
Any irregularity on an assessment (academic fraud, plagiarism, or improper use of artificial intelligence, unless such use is expressly authorized in the course syllabus) that could result in a significant change in the grade will result in the assessment being graded as a 0. If the course guide states that obtaining a minimum grade on this assessment is a prerequisite for passing the module, or if multiple irregularities occur in the assessments for the same module, the final grade for that module will be 0. Additionally, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against any student who commits any of these irregularities.
Bibliography
1.- Fisicoquímica para las ciencias químicas y biológicas. 3rd edición. Chang, Raymond; Zugazagoitia Herranz, Rosa. 2008 Ed. McGraw-Hill. (ISBN : 9789701066522 /ISBN : 9701066529)
2.- Chemistry for the biosciences : the essential concepts. 2nd ed. Crowe, Jonathan.; Bradshaw, Tony. 2010. Ed. New York, New York : Oxford University Press. (ISBN : 0-19-166587-8 / ISBN : 0-19-957087-6 / ISBN : 1-306-26036-1)
3.- i) Bruice, P.Y. Organic Chemistry, 8th Ed. Ed. Pearson Education, 2017 (ISBN 9781292160344, ISBN1292160349 ).
ii) Bruice, P.Y. Essential Organic Chemistry, 3rd Ed. Ed. Pearson Education, 2016 (ISBN 9781292089034).
4.- Timberlake, K.C. Química: Una Introducción a la Química General, Orgánica y Biológica, 10ª Ed. Ed. Pearson Educación, S.A. 2011 (ISBN 9788483227435).
5.- i) Holum, J.R. Fundamentos de Química General, Orgánica y Bioquímica para Ciencias de la Salud, 1a Ed. Editorial Limusa, México, 1999 (ISBN:968-18-4637-0).
ii) Holum, J.R. Fundamentals of General, Organic and Biological Chemistry, 6th Ed. John Wiley& Sons Publishing, 1997 (ISBN-10 0471175749, ISBN-13 978-0471175742).
iii) Holum, J.R. Elements of General, Organic and Biological Chemistry, 9th Ed. John Wiley & Sons Publishing, 1995 (ISBN 0471059064, ISBN 047111605X).
6.- SolomonsT.W.G. Química Orgánica, 3ª Ed. Ed. Limusa S.A. 2014 (Vol. 1: ISBN 10 9786070506963, Vol 2: 9786070506970).
7.- Carey F.A., Giuliano R.M. Química Orgánica, 9a Ed. Ed. McGraw-Hill, 2014 (ISBN 9786071512109).
8.- Química, (un proyecto para la A.C.S.), Editorial Reverte, 2007 (978-84-291-7001-6).
9- IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry:
i) https://iupac.qmul.ac.uk/BlueBook/
ii) https://publicacions.iec.cat/repository/pdf/00000195/00000013.pdf
iii) https://www.upo.es/depa/webdex/quimfis/docencia/quimbiotec/Nomenclatura_organica.pdf
10.- ACD/ChemSketch for Academic and Personal Use. A Free Comprehensive Chemical Drawing Package: http://www.freechemsketch.com
11.- Pulido F. Nomenclatura de Química Orgánica: http://es.slideshare.net/manoa21/nomenclatura-quimicaorganica-29646851?next_slideshow=1
12.- Rosso V. Química Orgánica Nomenclatura: http://es.slideshare.net/verorosso/qumica-orgnica-nomenclatura?qid=09239331-ba5c-4096-9104-dd4cb26fe630&v=qf1&b=&from_search=3
Software
ACD/ChemSketch for Academic and Personal Use. A Free Comprehensive Chemical Drawing Package: http://www.freechemsketch.com
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 71 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 711 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB40) Pràctiques de laboratori (40 estudiants per grup) | 711 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB40s) Suport a les pràctiques de laboratori (40 estudiants per grup) | 711 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 712 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB40) Pràctiques de laboratori (40 estudiants per grup) | 712 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PLAB40s) Suport a les pràctiques de laboratori (40 estudiants per grup) | 712 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |