CHEM 337: Bio-organic Chemistry
CHEM 337 offers a chemist’s perspective on biological processes. The goal is to gain an understanding of how reactions in living systems are similar and/or differ from reactions performed in a round-bottom flask in the chemistry laboratory. Concepts from introductory organic chemistry, CHEM 231 (e.g., acids and bases, nucleophiles and electrophiles) and reaction mechanisms from CHEM 234, (e.g., nucleophilic acyl substitutions, nucleophilic additions, SN1, SN2, E1, E2, E1cb) will support learning the organic chemistry of representative biological processes.
Enzymes/proteins occupy a special place in the hierarchy of biomolecules as they perform the vital function of accelerating reactions that are, otherwise, impractically slow under biological reactions conditions (aqueous environments and neutral pH). With the help of concepts from supramolecular chemistry and physical organic chemistry, by the end of CHEM 337 you will be able to propose a plausible mechanism by which a given enzyme performs its function.