ORC-20306 Organic Chemistry

Course

Credits 6.00

Teaching methodContact hours
Lectures15
Practical intensively supervised72
Tutorial15
Self-study
Course coordinator(s)dr. ATM Marcelis
Lecturer(s)dr. ATM Marcelis
dr. ing. T Wennekes
and scientific staff
Examiner(s)dr. ATM Marcelis

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

ORC-10306 Bio-organic Chemistry;
ORC-11806 Analytical Methods in Organic Chemistry

Contents:

The Chemistry of natural compounds is the central topic of this chemistry course. The lectures are given on an advanced level in order to give the students a better insight into conformations and reactivity of natural compounds. Emphasis will be given on primary metabolites and mechanisms of organic reactions mimicking (co)-enzymatic catalyzed reactions. At the final stage of this advanced course, attention will also be paid on secondary metabolites. The reason for this is the fact that secondary metabolites play a pivotal role in food related biotechnology processes and so the students should be aware of them. Topics which will be discussed are conformations and reactions of carbohydrates, amino acids and peptides, lipids, reaction mechanisms of enzymatic reactions, co-enzymes and vitamins and secondary metabolites. Reaction mechanisms and stereochemistry are the central topics in all the lectures given.
The practical part of Organic Chemistry introduces the student to many practical aspects that play an important role in organic chemical experiments. The theoretical preparation including literature research, safety aspects, use of apparatus and the purification and analysis of the products also plays an important role. Central in this practical course are the independent execution of several organic chemical experiments based on important reactions like addition, elimination, condensation, reduction, electrophilic substitution, etc. A report has to be made of all performed experiments in which the detailed reaction mechanism, followed procedure, yield, analysis, purity determination, etc. have to be treated.

Learning outcomes:

- obtained insight in the structure and reactivity of organic compounds and the functional groups present therein. Able to apply this insight on the chemistry of natural products;
- able to independently conduct organic chemical experiments in a safe way;
- deliver clear reports of the experiments in which the relation between theory and practice is adequately described.

Activities:

The student must follow the theoretical and training lectures, study the dictate and make exercises. In the practical course the student has to prepare and perform organic chemical experiments, purify and analyze the obtained products and write reports of the experiments.

Examination:

For the lecture part there is an exam with open questions. The mark for the practical course is determined from the performance during the practical and the quality of the reports.

Literature:

Reader and textbook 'Organic Chemistry: A biological approach' by J.McMurry (ISBN 0-495-11127-9) are available at the WUR-shop.

ProgrammePhaseSpecializationPeriod
Compulsory for: BMLMolecular Life SciencesBSc2MO
Restricted Optional for: BBTBiotechnologyBSc2MO
MBTBiotechnologyMScD: Process Technology2MO