INGLESE

English

The course aims to provide the basis for understanding the fundamental laws governing matter and its transformations with particular attention to biological phenomena at the atomic and molecular levels, in relation to biomedical applications, necessary for subsequent studies of the degree course in Medicine and Surgery.

- Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry, International Edition. Bettelheim FA, Brown WH., Campbell M.K., Farrell S.O.- Chemistry. Structure and Dynamics. Spencer JN, Bodner GM, Richard LH, Wiley. Any other text of the student's choice that covers all topics of the program must also be considered valid.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- describe the structure and transformations of matter and interpret the molecular phenomena that are echoed in living organisms, in particular with regard to acid-base equilibria, physiological buffers, gas laws and solubility in heterogeneous equilibria, osmotic phenomena and the properties of solutions and oxidation-reduction reactions;
- recognize the main classes of organic components and the different functional groups, describing them;
Physicochemical properties and reactivity, including functions of biological macromolecules;
- recognize the different classes of molecules of biological interest, describing their structures and knowing their functions.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
- recognize the type of chemical bonds and perform simple reaction balances;
- perform simple but fundamental calculations on solution concentrations and osmolarity;
- apply the knowledge acquired in the field of thermodynamics to chemical-physical transformation processes of biomedical interest;
- apply the knowledge acquired to the processes governing respiration, the maintenance of osmotic equilibrium, and the acid-base equilibria of biological fluids;
- write and recognize the formulas and chemical bonds of the main organic compounds of biological interest;
- apply knowledge of the reaction mechanisms of organic compounds to understand biochemical reactions and predict the reactivity of biomolecules based on their functional groups;
Autonomy of judgment
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
1. critically evaluate the information
2. form informed opinions
3. make autonomous decisions
Communication skills:
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
1. express your information and knowledge clearly and effectively
Learning ability
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
1. learn independently and continuously
2. update your skills and knowledge

Knowledge of chemistry needed to pass the Admission tests (Cambridge Assessment). Knowledge of the basic elements of mathematics and calculation. The student who accesses the Biochemistry Chemistry and Propaedeutics course must have obtained a basic preparation in General and Organic Chemistry. In order to standardize the basic knowledge, the basic concepts will be introduced before moving on to the more complex ones.

Lectures, integrated practical exercises, flipped classrooms, in itinere-tests. The lessons will be divided into three parts. A brief introduction to resume the topics covered in the previous lesson, answers to questions about the topics covered and presentation of new topics.

Evaluation of student proficiency is based on written test. Evaluation is carried out with written (demonstrations / exercises / problems/multiple choice questions) covering the entire course syllabus. Exercises and open questions are meant to evaluate the student’s ability to apply the laws of general and organic chemistry and to write reaction mechanisms of organic compounds. Questions cover the basic aspects of general and organic chemistry, official nomenclature of organic and inorganic chemical compounds, mole concept, stochiometry calculations, solutions, methods for expressing concentration, characteristics of the aqueous solutions of electrolytes, colligative properties, chemical reactions (acid-base reactions, neutralization reaction, redox reactions), laws that govern the chemical equilibrium and reaction rates, both in the gas phase and acqueous phase, with special insights on the acid-base reactions; thermodynamic bases that regulate chemical reactions; structure, properties and reactions of organic compounds, with special insights on those of biological interest. The final mark is expressed in 30/30 were 18/30 represents the minimum and 30/30 the maximum.

The material used for the lectures and exercises will be shared by SharePoint platform.

Teaching Unit 1. The structure of the atom, the periodic table of elements chemical bonds and oxidation-reduction reactions (teaching commitment assessed in CFU =1)
Describe and interpret: Atoms and molecules. The mole. Structure of the atom. Orbitals. Periodic system. Chemical bonds. Hybridization of the orbitals. Molecular geometry. Relations between chemical structure and physic properties. Nomenclature of inorganic compounds. Stoichiometry. Ionic compounds. Chemical reactions. Balancing chemical equations. Oxidation and reduction. Formula weights and molecular weights. Mole and calculation of mass relationships.

Teaching Unit 2. States of aggregation of matter and principles of thermodynamics (teaching commitment assessed in CFU =1)
Describe and interpret: The three states of matter. Gas pressure. Laws that govern the behavior of gases. Avogadro’s law and the ideal gas law. Dalton’s law of partial pressures. The kinetic molecular theory. Types of attractive forces between molecules. Behavior of liquids at the molecular level. Characteristics of the various types of solids. Phase change. Solutions. Factors that affect solubility. Units for concentration. Properties of water as solvent. Colloids. Colligative properties. Reaction rates and chemical equilibrium. Measurement of the reaction rates. Relationship between activation energy and reaction rate. The chemical equilibrium. The equilibrium constant. The value of the equilibrium constant. Le Chatelier’s principle. Thermochemistry lows. Entropy, Enthalpy, Free Energy.

Teaching Unit 3. Acids, bases, salts, pH, buffer solutions and electrochemistry (teaching commitment assessed in CFU =1)
Describe and interpret: Acids and bases. Naming common acids. Properties of acids and bases. The Acidic and Basic Properties of Pure Water. The strength of acids and bases. Conjugate acid–base pairs. Relationship between chemical structure and the acidity strength. Position of equilibrium in an acid–base reaction. Acid ionization constants. The pH and pOH. Titrations to calculate concentration. Buffers solutions. Saline solutions. Salt hydrolysis. pH calculation of strong/weak acid and bases, buffer solutions, saline solutions.

Teaching Unit 4. Properties of carbon and reactivity of organic compounds (teaching commitment assessed in CFU =1).
Describe and interpret: Writing structural formulas of organic compounds. Naming organic compounds. The functional groups. Alkanes. Structural formulas of alkanes. Constitutional isomers. Name of alkanes. How do we obtain alkanes? Cycloalkanes. Shapes of alkanes and cycloalkanes. Cis-Trans isomerism in cycloalkanes. The physical properties of alkanes and cycloalkanes. The characteristic reactions of alkanes. Haloalkanes. Alkenes and Alkynes. Structures of alkenes and alkynes. Name alkenes and alkynes. The physical properties of alkenes and alkynes. The characteristic reactions of alkenes. The polymerization reactions of ethylene and substituted ethylenes.

Teaching Unit 5. Benezene, alcohols, phenols, ethers, thiols and thioethers; aldehydes and ketones; carboxylic acids and derivatives, amines and amides. (teaching commitment assessed in CFU =1). Describe and interpret: Structure of benzene. Name of aromatic compounds. The characteristic reactions of benzene and Its derivatives. Phenols. Structures, names, and physical properties of alcohols. Reactions of alcohols. The structures, names, and properties of ethers and thiols. Enantiomerism. Configuration of a stereocenter. Stereoisomers. Optical activity. Chirality. The significance of chirality in the biological systems. Amines. Nomenclature of amines. The physical properties of amines. The basicity of amines. The characteristic reactions of amines. Aldehydes and ketones. Nomenclature of aldehydes and ketones. Physical properties of aldehydes and ketones. Characteristic reactions of aldehydes and ketones. Keto-enol tautomerism. Carboxylic acids. Name carboxylic acids. Physical properties of Carboxylic acids. The characteristic reactions of carboxylic acids. Carboxylic anhydrides, esters, and amides. Preparation of esters. Preparation of amides. Characteristic reactions of anhydrides, esters, and amides.

Teaching Unit 6. Amino acids and proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleotides and polynucleotides (teaching commitment assessed in CFU= 1)
Describe and interpret: Structure and nomenclature of carbohydrates. Monosaccharides. Cyclic structures of monosaccharides. Characteristic reactions of monosaccharides. Disaccharides and oligosaccharides. Polysaccharides. Lipids. Structures of triglycerides. Properties of triglycerides. Structures of complex lipids: Glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, glycolipids. Amino acids. The primary structure of proteins. The secondary structure of proteins. The tertiary structure of proteins. The quaternary structure of proteins.