Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the student is expected to acquire knowledge and understanding of basic organic chemistry.
In particular, the expected learning outcomes are:
1. Knowledge and understanding of the main functional groups and applying them to the classification of simple organic molecules;
2. Knowledge, understanding and applying of the structural representation of simple organic molecules to visualize them as objects in the three-dimensional space;
3. Knowledge and understanding of basic principles of organic reactions (chemical equilibria, structural theory, acids and bases, nucleophiles and electrophiles);
4. Knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the structure of simple organic molecules and their physical properties, in particular their solubility in aqueous or non-aqueous solvents;
5. Knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the structure of simple organic molecules and their reactivity;
6. Knowledge and understanding of methods of functional group interconversion and applying them to simple manipulations of organic molecules;
7. Knowledge of the international rules for the nomenclature of organic compounds and applying them to unknown molecules, also solving simple exercises;
8. Communication skills of the course contents to specialized and non-specialized audience;
9. Understanding of the importance of organic chemistry in the study of biochemical and biological processes underlying the animal production sciences.
Prerequisites
To access the final test on Organic Chemistry it is necessary to acquire knowledge of General and Inorganic Chemistry in a previous course. The students will have the possibility to take the test on Organic Chemistry (second module) only if they have passed the test on General and Inorganic Chemistry (first module).
Course unit content
The course aims to provide the students with basic knowledge of organic chemistry to understand the key connections between the molecular structure of organic compounds, their properties and their reactivity, as fundamentals for the study of biochemical and biological processes underlying the animal production sciences. Attention will be paid to general concepts of organic chemistry including the nature of chemical bonds, polarity and molecular geometry, acidity and basicity, nucleophilicity and electrophilicity, resonance, isomerism and chirality.
The second part of the course will be devoted to the systematic description of the main classes of organic compounds according to their functional group (alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, alkynes, halo-alkanes, alcohols and diols, aldehydes, ketones, etc.) with emphasis placed on rules of nomenclature, physical properties and reactivity.
Last part of the course will be devoted to the chemistry of biomolecules including amino acids, peptides and proteins, lipids and carbohydrates.
Full programme
COURSE OUTLINE
- Covalent bond and molecular structure
- Acids and bases
- Alkanes and cycloalkanes
- Alkenes and alkynes
- Chirality and molecular asymmetry
- Alkyl halides
- Alcohols, ethers and thiols
- Aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds
- Amines
- Aldehydes and ketones
- Carboxylic acids
- Carboxylic acid derivatives
- Amino acids, peptides and proteins
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
Bibliography
RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS (choose one of the following):
-J. Gorzynski Smith: Fondamenti di Chimica Organica, 3° Edizione, Mc Graw Hill Education, Milano, 2018.
-W. Brown, T. Poon: Introduzione alla Chimica Organica, 5° Edizione, EdiSES, Napoli, 2014.
-J. McMurry: Chimica organica – Un approccio biologico, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2008.
As additional study tools, slides presented during lessons and copies of past examination tests will be uploaded in the Elly platform
Teaching methods
The course is carried out through frontal oral lessons at the blackboard or making use of additional teaching material (slides) (total 35 hours corresponding to 5 CFU). Exercises dealing with manipulation of simple organic molecules will be proposed and will be solved either by the teacher or by the students. The exercise sessions are open to free discussion between students and teacher and these are considered an essential part of the course to:
-check applying knowledge and understanding of proposed contents;
-check the ability to master the acquired theoretical concepts and to apply knowledge in analyzing and solving simple problems of organic chemistry;
-check learning skills and communication skills.
The student is expected to read and study the contents of the lessons by him/herself by using a textbook, and applying this knowledge to solving exercises, including both the exercises made in classroom, and exercises in the textbook or study guides.
The teacher is available for further explanations about theory and exercises at the end of the lesson, or in office on e-mail appointment.
Many copies of past written tests are loaded and updated in the Elly platform to provide further tools in preparation of the final exam.
The additional teaching material (slides) is loaded on Elly platform; this material does not substitute the textbook.
Assessment methods and criteria
Knowledge and learning of this subject will be assessed by a written test covering all the contents of the program.
The written test consists of 10 questions (open-answer) with the same weight and a maximum score of 3 points. The result of the test is marked in thirtieths; a minimum of 18/30 is required as passing level. It contributes for the 50% of the final quotation of the whole examination (first and second modules).
To access the written test, the student must register on-line (via ESSE3 portal) in the dates according to the official examination schedule.
The written exam is judged positive (> or equal to 18/30) when the student demonstrates knowledge and learning of the following contents:
-knowledge and understanding of the functional groups within simple organic molecules (as detailed in the Course outline);
-identification of carbon stereocenters and chirality within simple organic molecules;
-applying knowledge and understanding of the international rules for the nomenclature of organic compounds;
-applying knowledge and understanding in relating the structural properties and the reactivity of organic compounds;
-selecting information from the theory study to analyze and solve problems dealing with manipulation of functional groups of simple organic compounds.
No books, notes nor whatever information system must be available during the written test.
Other information
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