Outline

Overview

All known life is based on four extraordinary families of molecules: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and the nucleic acids. While the chemistry of these molecules within living cells is the subject of biochemistry, this unit of study explores the chemistry beyond that of normal biological function to provide the foundations for drug design, development of bio-sensors and programmed self-assembly. This unit of study will cover the fundamental chemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. You will learn about the spontaneous organisation of these molecules into larger structures - globular proteins, DNA helices, and lipid membranes - and the new properties that emerge as a result. You will explore how metal ions interact with proteins to produce a variety of catalytic and molecular binding sites. Powerful modern techniques such as fluorescence and cryo-electron microscopy will be explained and their capacity to provide deeper insights in biological and medical applications explored. By doing this unit you will develop a fundamental understanding of the properties of biological molecules and a firm foundation for further studies in drug design, food and cosmetic science, advanced bio-sensing and the growing field of chemical applications based on biological materials. These same lectures are also covered in CHEM2533 Concepts in Chemistry of Biological Molecules but with the laboratory program replaced by a series of classroom workshops and assignments.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Chemistry Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	(CHEM1111 or CHEM1911 or CHEM1991 or CHEM1011 or CHEM1101 or CHEM1901 or CHEM1903 or CHEM1001) and (CHEM1112 or CHEM1912 or CHEM1992 or CHEM1012 or CHEM1102 or CHEM1902 or CHEM1904 or CHEM1002 )
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	CHEM2923 or CHEM2533 or CHEM2403 or CHEM2913
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Peter Harrowell, peter.harrowell@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Record+)	Final exam Online Exam	55%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Laboratory presentation Oral presentation	7%	Multiple weeks	2 x ~ 15 min presentation
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Lab reports 4 reports submitted over 9 weeks. See Canvas for more details.	18%	Multiple weeks	Each assignment takes ~ 3 hours work.
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	In-Semester Test 1 Online quiz	5%	Week 05	60 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	In-Semester Test 2 Online quiz	5%	Week 11	60 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Pre-lecture quiz Online quiz	10%	Weekly	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = Type B final exam ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85-100	At HD level, a student demonstrates a flair for the subject as well as a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distnction	75-84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65-74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the unit material and can solve routine problems and/or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50-64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the unit material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory achievement and is awarded to a student who has threshold knowledge.
Tail	0-49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date: Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Chemistry of cell 2. Food chemistry 3. Classes of Biological molecules	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 01	Laboratory exercies	Practical (4 hr)
Week 02	4.-6. Nucleic acids	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Laboratory exercise	Practical (4 hr)
Week 03	Materials from Wks 1 & 2	Tutorial (1 hr)
	7. Nucleic acids 8. Peptides 9. Peptides	Lecture (3 hr)
	Laboratory exercise	Practical (4 hr)
Week 04	10. Self assembly 11. Proteins 12. Proteins	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	Laboratory exercise	Practical (4 hr)
Week 05	Material from Wks. 3 & 4	Tutorial (1 hr)
	13. Structure determination 14. Metalloproteins 15. Protein aggregation	Lecture (3 hr)
	Laboratory exercise	Practical (4 hr)
Week 06	16. Synthetic proteins 17. Fluorescent sensors 18. Carbohydrates	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Laboratory exercise	Practical (4 hr)
Week 07	Material from Wks 5 & 6	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	19-21. Carbohydrates	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	22. Carbohydrates 23. Lipids 24. Lipids	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	25 Lipids 26. Self assembly 27. Membranes	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	Material from Wks 7 & 8	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	28. Membranes 29. Concentration gradients 30. Encapsulation	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	31. Encapsulation 32-33. Molecular identification	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Material from Wks. 9 & 10	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	34-35 Bioorthogonality 36. Conclusion	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Material from Wks 11 & 12	Tutorial (1 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand and describe the chemistry of biological molecules.
LO2. Work safely and competently in a chemical laboratory
LO3. Communicate scientific information and laboratory findings effectively using a range of modes (written, oral, visual etc.) for a variety of audiences.
LO4. Recognise the relevance of the chemistry of biological molecules to applications beyond the discipline of chemistry and articulate the social value of the subject.
LO5. Evaluate and interpret chemical data to resolve chemical questions and advance chemical inquiry into the the chemistry of biological molecules.
LO6. Work collaboratively and responsibly in data collection, analysis and communication.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

CHEM2523: Chemistry of Biological Molecules

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect