6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Coordinator(s)
Associate Professor Bim Graham
Unit guides
Synopsis
This unit provides students with an introduction to the fundamentals of organic chemistry, with an emphasis on those aspects that are relevant to understanding the structure, properties and mechanism of action of therapeutic agents.
Topics include:
- chemical structure, bonding and shape
- alkanes and cycloalkanes
- alkenes and alkynes
- chirality
- haloalkanes
- alcohols, ethers and thiols
- benzene and its derivatives
- spectroscopy/pharmaceutical analysis
Outcomes
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
- Apply the key concepts in chemical structure and bonding, including functional groups, to rationalising the shape, properties and reactions of molecules;
- Explain the role of molecular shapes and electronic distributions as the basis for drug-receptor interactions;
- Be proficient in basic laboratory techniques.
Assessment
Final written examination (3 hours): 60%; mid-semester test: 10%; practical classes: 15%; tutorial classes: 10%; in-class exercises: 5%
Workload requirements
Contact hours for on-campus students:
- Twenty five 1-hour lectures
- Six 1-hour tutorials
- Five 3-hour lab practicals
- Three 3-hour computer-based workshops
See also Unit timetable information