3513 - Organic Chemistry
Course information
- Title
- Organic Chemistry
- Course number
- 3513.24
- Academic year
- 2024-2025
- ECTS
- 7.50
- Level
- Bachelor
- Faculties
- Science and Tecnology
- Educations
- BSc in Biology, BSc in Molecular Life Sciences
- Prerequisites
- General and Inorganic Chemistry or similar
- Language of instruction
- The course is taught in Faroese.
- Registration
- Students on the 2nd semester of B.Sc. in Biology and B.Sc. in Molecular Life Sciences are automatically enrolled. Applicants for an individual course must apply via the Student Affairs Office.
- Beginning date
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025
- End date
- Friday, May 30, 2025
Academic content
- Purpose
- To give the students a solid base and competence for chemical appraisals in environmental and biological topics.
- Learning outcomes
- Having passed the course, the student is able to: • Describe the structure and physicochemical properties of functional groups • Analyze reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry • Explain the basic principles for systematic naming and drawing of structural formulas • Explain the fundamental rules for constitutional, configurational, and conformational formulas • Describe spectroscopic techniques and how they are suitable for identifying bonds and functional groups • Describe the structure and fundamental functions of amino acids, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleotides • Clearly represent organic compounds with naming and/or structural formulas, including the ability to use E/Z, R/S, and D/L nomenclature • Be able to use Fischer, Newman, and Haworth projections, as well as bold and dashed bonds for stereochemical structural formulas • Perform simple experiments, including chromatographic analyses and spectroscopic measurements
- Content
- The course focuses on fundamental organic chemical concepts, with particular emphasis on topics of importance in the field of biosciences (i.e., chemistry in aqueous solutions). This includes the structure of organic molecules, naming (systematic and trivial names), polarity, and selected chemical reactions (addition, substitution, elimination). The course covers the physical and chemical properties of biologically relevant functional chemical groups (alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic compounds, alkyl halides, alcohols, ethers, thiols, sulfides, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and amides) to understand their role in important molecules such as amino acids, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleotides. The course includes E/Z, R/S, and D/L nomenclature and stereochemical representation forms such as Fischer, Mills, and Haworth projections. Sawhorse and Newman projections will also be covered. Analytical and spectroscopic methods for identifying organic compounds are part of the teaching, including chromatographic techniques (TLC, GC, HPLC), as well as spectroscopic methods (UV, IR, and NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS).
- Learning and teaching approaches
- Lectures, theoretical exercises, laboratory exercises, group work and presentation
Assessment
- Assessment method
- To be allowed to sit the examination, the student needs to pass the laboratory work and hand in compulsory coursework on time for assessment and pass. A four-hour written examination, pencil, and paper. All auxiliary materials are allowed, e.g., textbooks, papers, notes except access to the internet. Re-examination: Previously approved submissions are valid.
- Examination (internal/external)
- External
- Grading scale
- 7-scale
- Exam date/dates
- The written exam is set for week 23, 2025. The reexam is set for week 33-34, 2025.
- Deadline for withdrawal from exam
- Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Academic responsibility and teachers
- Academic responsibility
- Sigurd Christiansen
- Teachers
- Sigurd Christiansen