Entry requirements

5 credits in science/engineering. Participation in Chemical Principles I/Basic Chemistry 10 credits, or The Basic Principles of Chemistry 15 credits, participation in Organic Chemistry I 10 credits (can be taken in parallel).

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• identify different classes of biomolecules and structures, explain fundamental relationships between their structure and function and describe the principal organisation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
• describe the molecular principles for catalysis, transport, signal transduction and for how energy is turned over in living systems
• in a correct and safe manner perform protein separations, analysis of proteins and enzymatic measurements, perform basic risk and safety assessments connected to these experiments as well as document the experiments in laboratory journals
• explain biochemical methods and concepts and account for experimental results orally and in writing, individually or in groups
• explain the chemical/biological background to everyday biological phenomena and describe the role of biochemistry for man, the environment and the society

Content

The structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Bioenergetics. Biomolecules. The central dogma. Enzyme mechanisms, kinetics and industrial usage. Biological membranes. Signal transduction. Overview of energy metabolism. Methods for purifying and analysis of biomolecules (gel chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography, electrophoresis).

Instruction

Lectures, problem solving sessions and laboratory work.

Assessment

Written examinations are organised at the end of the course (3 credits). The laboratory sessions including chemistry profile/assignments (2 credits). The final grade corresponds to a weighted average of the results from the written examination and the laboratory work.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.