University of Zagreb School of Medicine

Plan of the course

Medical Chemistry and
Biochemistry 1
Academic year _2013_/_2014_

Course coordinator:
Associate professor Blaenka Foreti, M.Sc., Ph.D.

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he course Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry I is integrated and composed

in such a way to enable students to become familiar with chemical structures as well as
chemical, physical and energetic changes occurring in nature and human organism.
Conceived in such a way, this course offers chemical basis for the teaching of biochemistry
and physiology, as well as for the understanding of the living processes. The basic principles
of chemistry are grouped around principal thematic units structured into a coherent whole
comprised of lectures, seminars and practical. The content of the Medical Chemistry and
Biochemistry I course comprises: basic stoichiometry, bio-thermodynamics, kinetics and
chemical equilibrium, properties of solutions, electrochemistry, colloid systems, biologically
significant inorganic substances, structure and properties of organic compounds, structure
and function of carbohydrates, lipids and biological membranes, nucleic acids and proteins
with special emphasis on the enzymes and enzyme catalyzed reactions. The practical part of
the course covers: solution preparation, pH and buffers, protein purification with dialysis and
gel filtration, methods in the analysis of carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins and lipids, as
well as enzyme kinetics.

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2nd semester
Day

Time
(hours)

Type of
Study Unit

Topic

Lecture 1

Chemistry: The Science of Matter. Atoms and

Elements. Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table.
Types of Chemical Bonds. Molecular Logic of Life.

Lecture 2

Water: the Source of Life. (The Chemistry of Water;

Electrolytes and Non-electrolytes. The Ionization of
Water.)

Lecture 3

Thermochemistry: Internal Energy and Enthalpy.

Seminar 1

Components of Matter. Quantitative Expression of

Substance Composition. Fundamentals of Solution
Stoichiometry.

Seminar 2

Intermolecular Forces. Changes of State. The Gaseous

State.

Lecture 4

Carbon; Classes of Organic Compounds.

Seminar 3

Solutions. Strong and Weak Electrolytes. Dissociation.

Hydrolysis. Precipitation. Redox Reactions.

Seminar 4

The Law of Chemical Equilibrium.

Lecture 5

Thermodynamics: Entropy, Free Energy and the

Direction of Chemical Reactions

Seminar 5

Equilibrium Constant Expressions. Homogeneous and

Heterogeneous Equilibrium.

Lecture 6

Solutions and Colloids. Physical Properties of

Solutions.

Seminar 6

Colligative Properties of Non-electrolyte and

Electrolyte Solutions.

Monday
10.02.2014

Monday
17.02.2014

Monday
24.02.2014

Monday
03.03.2014

Lecturer

Seminar 7

Spectrophotometry and Polarimetry

10.03.2014

Practical 1

Preparation of Solution and Optical Analytical

Methods

Monday

Seminar 8

Acids and Bases. Buffers. Titration Curves.

Practical 2

Protein Purification with Dialysis. Diffusion and

Osmosis.

Lecture 7

Chemical Kinetics

Seminar 9

Energy Changes in Chemical and Biochemical

Reactions: Bio-thermodynamics; Coupled Reactions.

Practical 3

Acids and Bases. pH and Buffers.

Lecture 8

Electrochemistry. Thermodynamics of Redox

Reactions.

Seminar 10

Potentials of Redox Reactions. Spontaneity of Redox

Reactions.

Seminar 11

Problem Solving.

Lecture 9

Oxidation-Reduction in Organic Chemistry. Major

Types of Reactions in Organic Chemistry.

Seminar 12

Saturated and Unsaturated Hydrocarbons: Structure,

Isomerism, Chemical Reactions. Aromatic
Hydrocarbons.
Organic Halogen Compounds. Alcohols and Phenols:
Physical and Chemical Properties. Ethers.

Monday

17.03.2014

Monday
24.03.2014

Monday
31.03.2014

Monday
07.04.2014

Monday

Lecture 10

14.04.2014

Seminar 13

Nitrogen and Sulfur Containing Compounds. Amines

and Thiols: Structure, Properties and Chemical
Reactions.(Amino alcohols).

Easter
Monday
21.04.2014
Monday

First control test

28.04.2014

Lecture 11

Aldehydes and Ketones. Keto-Enol Tautomerism.

Carboxylic Acids.

Seminar 14

Substituted Carboxylic Acids and the Carboxylic Acid

Derivatives.
4

Monday
05.05.2014

Monday

12.05.2014
Monday

Lecture 12

Heterocyclic Compounds. Vitamins.

Seminar 15

Amino Acids. Peptides.

Lecture 13

From Amino Acids to Proteins. Levels of Structure in

Proteins.
Hemoglobin and MyoglobinParadigms
of Protein Structure and Function.

Seminar 16

Practical 4
Lecture 14

Amino Acids and Proteins.

Structure of Extracellular Matrix Proteins (Keratin,
Collagen).

Lecture 15

Enzymes and Coenzymes.

Seminar 17

Kinetics of Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions. Types of

Enzyme Inhibition. Allosteric Enzymes.

Lecture 16

Carbohydrates.

Seminar 18

Carbohydrates: Stereochemistry and Reactions.

Glycolysis.

Practical 5
Lecture 17

Enzyme Kinetics.
Lipids.

Seminar 19

Lipids. Structure of Biological Membranes.

Practical 6

Carbohydrates and Lipids.

Lecture 18

Nucleosides; Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids.

Seminar 20

Tertiary Structure of DNA: Supercoils. Replication of

DNA. Ribonucleic Acids. Protein Biosynthesis.

Lecture 19

Applied Genetics - Basic Principles.

Lecture 20

Inorganic Compounds in Biological Systems.

19.05.2014

Monday
26.05.2014

Monday
02.06.2014

Monday
09.06.2014

Monday
/Friday

Second control test

16.06.2014
20.06.2014

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Requirements: Attendance at lectures, seminars and laboratory exercises (practices) is mandatory. Missed lectures,
seminars as well as missed or not accepted practices are recorded. The justified absence from 2 lectures, 2 seminars
and 0 practices will be tolerated, but absence from 20 to 30 % teaching units will result in assignment of negative
points on the final exam.
Two control tests, including the topics of the lectures, seminars and laboratory exercises, will be given during the
course. Control tests and the final examination will be assessed as follows:

Percentage
(%)
0-50
51-62
63-74
75-86
87-100

Mark
fail (1)
satisfactory (2)
good (3)
very good (4)
excellent (5)

The students performance will be assessed on the basis of the average results of their control tests, completion of the
requirements in the laboratory exercises and absences from lectures and seminars, at the end of the course. The
written final examination test covers all topics of the medical chemistry program. The student may obtain bonus
points based on the result of the control tests during the course. The bonus points (BP) are calculated as follows: BP
= sum of marks of control tests - 2. Consequently, a maximum of 8 bonus points can be collected by the student. The
bonus points will be added to the points of the final examination test.

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Final written exam (test).

Regular terms

Date

Winter
Summer

Friday, July 04, 2014

Friday, July 18, 2014

Autumn

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Additional terms
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Associate Professor Nicoletta Burger, MSc, PhD

Associate Professor Blaenka Foreti, MSc, PhD the Course Coordinator
Associate Professor Svjetlana Kalanj Bognar, MD, PhD
Associate Professor eljka Vukeli, MSc, PhD
Assistant Professor Daria Paali, MSc, PhD
Ivana Fura, PhD (Dept. Forensic Medicine)
Igor Picek, PhD
Danijela Cvijanovi, Master of Chem.
Vladimir Damjanovi, Master of Chem.
Professor Dubravka Matkovi alogovi, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb
Margita Jadan, MSc, PhD, Ruer Bokovi Institute (IRB)

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Associate Professor Blaenka Foreti, MSc, PhD

Associate Professor Svjetlana Kalanj Bognar, MD, PhD
Associate Professor eljka Vukeli, MSc, PhD
Assistant Professor Daria Paali, MSc, PhD

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Selected chapters from:
1. Silberberg M. S.: Chemistry, The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, McGraw-Hill, 4nd Ed., 2006.
or Chang R.: General Chemistry; The Essential Concepts, McGraw-Hill, 4th Ed., 2006.
2. Katherine J Denniston, Joseph J Topping, and Robert L Caret: General, Organic and Biochemistry,
McGraw-Hill, 4th Ed., 2003.
3. Laboratory Manual - Handbook of Chemistry for Medical Students, 2013 (internal script)
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Selected chapters from:
1. Nelson D.L. and Cox M. M.: Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. Worth Publishers, 3rd Ed., 2005.
2. Janice Gorzynski Smith: Organic Chemistry, McGraw-Hill, 3rd Ed., 2011.
3. Jonathan Crowe and Tony Bradshaw: Chemistry for the Biosciences, Oxford University Press, 2nd Ed.,
2006.