Instructor:  Dr. Dennis L. Merat

Office Hours: Room  S-302B
            9:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.  MWF

           8:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.  TR

          1:00 p.m. – 1:45  T

Phone Numbers:   321-4201 (Office)
                            362-3682 (Home, 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.)

E – mail:   dmerat@cbu.edu

Course Description:  This course is a detailed introduction to the chemistry of the major classes of biologically important molecules including amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.  A discussion of the role of water in biological systems, techniques for isolation and characterization of biomolecules, bioinformatics, enzyme kinetics, mechanism of and regulation of enzyme activity, membrane structure and function, and bioenergetics will be included.  The course will conclude with an introduction to metabolism.

Prerequisites: BIOL 112, 112L and CHEM 212, 212L .

Corequisite: CHEM 315L

Required Texts and Materials:

    1.  Biochemistry, Third Edition, by D. Voet & J. G. Voet; John Wiley &
     Sons, Inc., 2004.  ISBN: 0-471-19350-X

    2. Biochemistry Laboratory: Modern Theory and Techniques , by
    Rodney Boyer, 2006.

    3.  Scientific Calculator

General Course Goals:  The course is designed to:

    1)   Introduce students to the properties, structures, and chemistry of the major class of biomolecules  and

    2)   introduce students to the basic concepts required for the study of
      metabolism and molecular biology.

Attendance:  Regular class attendance is expected.

Assignments: You are expected to read textbook chapters listed on the syllabus prior to coming to class.  You are responsible for learning all material that is either presented or assigned during class lecture/demonstrations.  In addition, you will be responsible for all assigned questions and problems.

Point Distribution:

       4  hour tests  @   100  points  each                400  points
       Homework                                                      50  points
       Comprehensive Final Examination                   150  points
                                                                             600  points

Grading Policy:

          Average  (%)                       Letter Grade

             90 -- 100                                    A
              80 --  89                                    B
              65 --  79                                    C
              54 --  64                                    D
              53 or below                                F

The student’s average for this course is calculated by dividing the total points earned by 600, then multiplying by 100.  If your scores are within these ranges, you are guaranteed the appropriate letter grade for the range within which your scores fall.
For problems involving numeric calculations, ALL WORK, except simple arithmetic, must be shown.  Calculators may be used on examinations when required.   If your calculator is programmable and/or has a constant memory, you must be prepared to remove the battery at any time during the examination.  Calculators may not be shared.  Calculators must be removed from their case before the examination begins.
 The hour and final examinations will be taken in-class and will be closed book/closed notes.  If the percentage of questions answered correctly on the final examination is higher than the percentage of questions answered on the lowest of the hour tests, the percentage of correct answers score on the final examination will replace the lowest score on the hour tests.
 

Comprehensive Final Examination

    The date of the comprehensive final examination will be announced.

Make-up Policy:  Makeup tests will be given only under the most extenuating circumstances, such as serious illness or death in the family.  Make-up tests may be more difficult than the in-class tests.

Homework:  Homework assignments will be collected on the assigned due dates.  Only selected problems may be graded on the homework assignments.  Late assignments will be accepted only under the most extenuating circumstances.

Each homework assignment will be graded on a 10 point scale; the homework grade for the semester will be computed using the following formula:

     (Sum of numerator homework scores / total number assignments)  x  5
 
 
 
 

Listing of Lecture Topics
 

Note:  The sequence of major topics that will be covered this semester are listed below.  Rate and sequence of coverage of material may vary from the schedule.  Reading assignments are given in parentheses following the topic(s) and refer to the textbook.  Additional reading assignments will be made during the course of the lecture.
 

Overview of Amino Acids and Peptides and Introductory Material
(pages 65-71 & Chapter 1)

Chemistry of Water and Aqueous Solutions (Chapter 2)

Review of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics (pages 51-56)

Amino Acids and Peptides (Chapter 4)

Protein Purification (Chapter 6)

Protein Structure (pages 161 – 175,  pages 191 – 207, Chapter 8)

Protein Folding and Dynamics (Chapter 9)

Introduction to Enzymology (Chapter 13)

Enzyme Kinetics (Chapter 14)

Mechanism of Enzyme Action (Chapter 15)

Hemoglobin (Pages 182-191; Chapter 10)

Carbohydrates (Chapter 11)

Lipids and Biological Membranes (Chapter 12; pages 638 – 642)

Nucleic Acids (Chapter 5; pages 155 – 158; pages 175 – 182; pages 207 – 212; Chapter 29)

Introduction to Bioenergetics (Chapter 3; pages 566 – 571)

Introduction to Metabolism (Chapter 16)