Ateneo - UPO

The course will be structured in two parts: general chemistry and organic chemistry. In the general chemistry part, the structure and the states of matter will be addressed. The following topics will be investigated: i) the structure of the atom and the periodic properties; ii) the properties of gases, with specific details regarding the physiology of breathing; iii) the properties of fluids and solutions, with particular attention to colligative properties and to measurement and calculation of concentrations; iv) compounds and chemical reactions; v) chemical equilibria, chemical kinetic and the role played by catalytic converters; vi) basic acid balances and buffer solutions, with in-depth analysis of the maintenance of acid-base balance in the human body; vi) electrochemical potential and redox reactions.
The organic chemistry part will include: i) the structure and the chemical-physical characteristics of the organic functional groups; ii) the carbon bonds and its different oxidation states; iii) the structure and chemical-physical features of the main organic molecules and the most relevant reactions from a biological point of view to which they participate; iv) structure, classification and definition of the chemical-physical features of the main classes of molecules and macromolecules of biological interest (carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and polypeptides and nucleic acids)

- Bettelheim, Chimica e Propedeutica Biochimica, EdiSES
- Dennison, Chimica generale, chimica organica e propedeutica biochimica. McGraw-Hill

The general aim of this course is to provide the basis for understanding the principles governing the chemical and chemical-physical processes of matter to know how to apply them to human physiology in the state of health and illness. In particular, this course will provide tools necessary to: i) know the role of different types of bonds and intermolecular interactions in determining the structure of matter; ii) recognize the specific features of elements and compounds and the way they react; iii) understanding and applying the laws that describe the behavior of gases, the properties of liquid-gaseous, liquid-liquid and liquid-solid solutions; iv) acquire the necessary skills for the calculation of concentrations; v) solve problems related to chemical reactions and chemical equilibria, in particular the acid-base balance with pH calculation; iv) recognize the functional groups and classes of the main organic compounds, as well as their chemical-physical characteristics and the main reactions to which they can participate; v) recognize the functional groups and the biological molecules, as well as their chemical-physical features. At the end of the course students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to the processes that govern the human organism, including respiration, maintenance of hydro-saline and base-acidic balance, membrane potential and reducing potential of a cell. They will also acquire the basic knowledge on the structure of organic and biological molecules necessary to put in relationship the structure with the chemical-physical properties of the molecule itself and to be able to tackle the study of metabolic processes.

Basic knowledge in mathematics, physics and cell biology

Frontal lessons with slides presentation. Execution of problems, quizzes and exposition of cases in the classroom to guide the student to their resolution.
Running problems, quizzes and case resolution at home using the moodle platform.
Some in-depth studies regarding the chemistry applied to the health and physiology of the human organism will be available to students as lecture notes.
For the preparation of the exam, students can use the material provided by the teacher and the recommended textbook

A pdf copy of the projected slides, the in-depth material and all the information regarding the course and the methods of examination will be made available on the DIR (https://www.dir.uniupo.it/)

During the course, ongoing tests will be carried out in the form of quizzes and exam simulations. These tests will NOT be used for the final evaluation, but will allow the student to evaluate his level of understanding of the different topics and to practice for passing the exam.
The exam will allow you to verify the level of knowledge and mastery of the topics covered during the course and the reasoning skills developed by the student. The exam will consist in a written test including a part dedicated to general chemistry and a part dedicated to organic chemistry. The evaluation of each part will be carried out independently, and the final mark of the exam will be given by the average of the marks obtained in the two parts.
The general chemistry exam will include: i) a series of questions with multiple choice answers (some may possibly require simple calculations); ii) the balancing of reactions (normal and redox) and iii) exercises concerning the following topics: 1) the weight relationships between reactants and products; 2) gas systems, gas laws and kinetic theory; 3) solutions and calculation of concentrations and dilutions; 4) colligative properties; 5) the dissociation equilibria in solutions of acids and bases; 6) the equilibrium of hydrolysis and pH in saline solutions; 7) buffer solutions; 8) redox equilibria and electrochemistry. During the written test students can consult the periodic table and use the calculator.
The organic chemistry exam will consist of a series of questions with multiple choice or true / false answers and a series of open-ended questions regarding the main reactions that alkanes, alkenes, aromatic compounds, aldehydes and ketones, amines, carboxylic acids and derivatives undergo. A part of the test will concern the structure and the fundamental characteristics of sugars, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins. The details of the exam methods will be made available on the DIR

Part 1_ General and inorganic chemistry
Physical and chemical properties of the matter. Suspensions, solutions and colloids. Dialysis, electrophoresis. Atoms, molecules, and ions: definition and representation. Ionic and molecular compounds. The atomic structure and electronic configuration of atoms. The periodic table and the periodic properties. The chemical bond and formation of the molecules: ionic, covalent and metallic bond. Representation of molecules. Inorganic compounds and their nomenclature. The weak interactions. The aggregation states of matter: properties of the gaseous, liquid and solid state. State changes.
Solutions. Solubility. Ways to express the concentratios. Electrolytic dissociation. Properties of solutions: colligative properties, van't Hoff low.
Chemical reactions and balancing chemical reactions. Representations of reactions and stoichiometric calculations. Chemical equilibrium; the constant of equilibrium, the law of mass action, the principle of Le Chatelier; Guldberg and Waage law.
Equilibria in aqueous solution: ionic dissociation of water; ionic product of water, Kw, pKw, pH, pOH; acids and bases definition according to Broensted and Lowry and Lewis, the Arrhenius theory; strength of acids and bases, Ka and Kb. Calculation of the pH of a solution of strong and weak acids or bases. Polyprotic acids and their equilibria in solution. Acidic-base reactions: neutralization. Saline hydrolysis. Solubility product. pH of salts solutions. Buffer solution: Henderson - Hasselbalch equation
Role of buffer systems in the body. pH measurement. Acid-base titrations: indicators.
Kinetics and chemical thermodynamics. Reaction speed and order of reactions; speed constant. Kinetics of chemical reactions. Reaction mechanisms. Catalysis
Electrochemistry. Oxidation-reduction reactions, oxidation number. Chemical work and electric work. Oxidation potentials. Electrochemical series of elements. The battery. Nernst's equation
Biochemistry of elements: iron in biomolecules; phosphorus and phosphoric esters in nucleotides. Biochemistry of trace elements
Part 2_ Organic Chemistry and propaedeutic biochemistry
Chemistry of carbon. Atomic carbon structure and hybridization states of carbon bonds.
Functional groups and organic compounds: definition, general formula, structure and nomenclature according to IUPAC. Interaction of functional groups with aqueous solvent.
Linear and cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons.
Geometric isomerism (cis-trans and position). Chirality: stereogenic atoms. Optical properties and classification of chiral compounds.
Aromaticity, benzene: structural characteristics. Resonance. Electrophilic replacement reaction. Derivatives of benzene and other polycyclic hydrocarbons
Organic functional groups and general characteristics of their reactions: of alcohols and thioalcohols, aldehydes and ketones; resonance of the carbonyl group. Keto-enol tautomerism. Formation of semiacetals and acetals; reactions with ammonia derivatives (amines) with formation of imminoderivatives (Schiff bases). Carboxylic acid reactions: acidic constant, Ka, carboxylate anion resonance, carboxylic acid derivatives (acyl halides, esters, amides, anhydrides) and hydrolysis behavior. Amines.
Part 3_The biomolecules
Carbohydrates. Structure, classification and general properties of monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. The glycosidic bond.
Lipids. Fatty acids, triglycerides and phospholipids: structure, nomenclature and chemical-physical properties. Micelles and liposomes. Terpenes and cholesterol.
Amino acids, peptides and proteins. Amino acids: classification; steric and acid-base properties. Isoelectric and isoionic point. The peptide or amide bond.
Nucleotides and nucleic acids; chemical structure and nomenclature

At the end of the course the students will have acquired the necessary knowledge to objectively recognize the different characteristics of the matter and will possess the necessary tools to better understand the biochemistry and laboratory chemistry.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Recognize the properties of chemical elements and inorganic molecules to predict the effects of their interaction with the human organism
- Recognize the properties of biological molecules in relation to the presence of specific functional groups
- Know the effects and the role of redox reactions in the human body
- Understand the meaning of membrane potentials and their role in cell physiology
- Calculate the concentration of saline solutions, acids and bases and calculate the pH
- Apply the principles of chemical kinetics and thermodynamics to biochemical reactions
- Possess the necessary tools to understand the physiology of respiration, acid-base and hydro saline balance