Course Descriptions

Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry

For a full list of all courses offered by the Department of Chemistry, visit the course catalogue.

This laboratory course provides practical, hands-on work with concepts covered in CHEM 1320 as well as review of other related concepts useful for students pursuing careers related to health care. Fee.

Corequisite/Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in CHEM 1320 or completion of CHEM 1320 with a grade of C" or better.

Chemistry course descriptions

This course covers general, organic, and biological chemistry topics that are most relevant to biological sciences and human health. Fee.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of high school chemistry and placement in college level mathematics according to SAT or ACT score, UIW chemistry placement test, or completion of CHEM 1310. Students taking CHEM 1320 should also enroll in CHEM 1120 unless they have already passed it with a grade of C" or better.

Chemistry course descriptions

The first in a two-semester sequence, this laboratory provides students with training in basic organic chemistry laboratory skills such as melting point determination, recrystallization, extraction, distillation, thin-layer and gas chromatography, and their applications to chemical reactions. Students will also practice and refine their scientific writing skills. Fee.

Prerequisites: CHEM 1102 and CHEM 1302

Corequisite: CHEM 2311

Chemistry course descriptions

In the second semester of this laboratory sequence, students carry out a variety of organic chemistry reactions that complement and supplement the material covered in the second semester lecture course. Students will also learn basic spectroscopic techniques used to analyze reaction products and other organic chemicals, including infra-red, nuclear magnetic resonance, and UV-vis spectroscopies. Fee.

Prerequisite: CHEM 2111

Corequisite: CHEM 2312

This laboratory course provides practical, hands-on work with concepts covered in CHEM 2350 as well as review of other concepts useful for students pursuing careers in nutrition and environmental science. This course is recommended for nutrition majors, and may not be used to fulfill the requirements for degrees in either chemistry or biochemistry. Fee.

Corequisite: CHEM 2350

An introduction to structure, nomenclature, conformations, reactions, and mechanism is provided in this course. Core concepts in chemical bonding, acid-base reactions, resonance and inductive effects, functional group transformations, and stereochemistry are covered.

Prerequisite: CHEM 1302

Corequisite: CHEM 2111

Chemistry course descriptions

Organic Chemistry II builds upon the foundations established in Organic Chemistry I. A wide variety of functional group transforming reactions are covered, especially in the context of synthesis. Each class of reactions and the functional groups they involve are supported with nomenclature and relevant properties. An introduction to spectroscopy and spectrometry, including infra-red and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies and mass spectrometry, is also included.

Prerequisites: CHEM 2111 and CHEM 2311

Corequisite: CHEM 2112

This course is a survey of organic chemistry in sufficient depth and breadth to support biochemistry curriculum in the environmental and allied health sciences. The course emphasizes structure, nomenclature, reactions, and theory as applied to simple organic compounds with particular emphasis on their applications and on their context in living systems.

This course is recommended for nutrition majors, and may not be used to fulfill the requirements for degrees in either chemistry or biochemistry.

Prerequisite: CHEM 1302

Corequisite: CHEM 2150

Chemistry course descriptions

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of chemistry in living systems. It includes an introduction to major categories of biochemical substances, metabolic pathways, and principles of biochemical information transfer. This course requires completion of either CHEM 2312 or CHEM 2350, with a grade of “C” or better. This is a one-semester stand-alone course and may not be used to fulfill degree requirements for biochemistry majors or minors.

Prerequisite: CHEM 2312 or CHEM 2350

This laboratory course provides practical, hands-on work with concepts covered in CHEM/BIOL 4351, as well as review of other concepts useful for students pursuing careers in biochemistry and related fields. Fee.

Prerequisite: CHEM 4351 or BIOL 4351

This laboratory course provides practical, hands-on work with concepts covered in BIOL/CHEM 4352, as well as review of other related concepts useful for students pursuing careers biochemistry and related fields.

Prerequisite: CHEM 4352 or BIOL 4352

This course presents advanced topics in organic chemistry which build on and expand those covered in Organic Chemistry I and II (CHEM 2311, 2312), including stereochemistry, molecular orbital theory, reaction mechanisms, and synthesis. Topics will vary depending on the instructor's area(s) of expertise and specialization. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.  

Prerequisite: CHEM 2312. Permission of advisor and instructor required.

This course is the first part of a two course sequence covering introductory Biochemistry, and studies the structure and function of key biomolecules (proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids), enzymes, membranes, and molecular biology.

Note that concurrent enrollment in CHEM/BIOL 4151 is not required for enrollment in CHEM/BIOL 4351.

Prerequisites: CHEM 2312 and BIOL 1402 (or equivalents)

This course is the second part of a two course sequence covering introductory Biochemistry, and studies the structure and function of carbohydrates, bioenergetics, intermediary metabolism, and the role of enzymes, vitamins, and cofactors in metabolism.

Note that concurrent enrollment in CHEM/BIOL 4151 is not required for enrollment in CHEM/BIOL 4352.

Prerequisites: CHEM 4351 or BIOL 4351 (or equivalent)

This course is an elective course covering foundational biochemistry concepts related to genome structure, DNA replication, DNA damage and repair, DNA recombination, transcription, RNA processing, translation, and regulation of gene expression.

Prerequisites: CHEM 4351 (or BIOL 4351) and BIOL 3361

This course is a biochemistry elective course covering topics related to enzymes and proteins. Specific topics may include the structure of enzymes, enzyme kinetics, mechanisms and inhibition, the role of enzymes in metabolism, and current methodologies for analysis of proteins and enzymes.

Prerequisite: CHEM 4351 or BIOL 4351