The proseminar sessions run in parallel to the lecture Organic Chemistry for Molecular Biologists and provide a guided environment for deepening understanding through problem solving, discussion, and application of lecture content. Students will:
- Reinforce and expand theoretical knowledge from the lecture
- Develop confidence in solving organic chemistry problems relevant to molecular biology
- Practice interpreting chemical structures, mechanisms, and reaction pathways
- Connect organic chemistry principles to biomolecular and cellular processes
At the end of the proseminar, students will be able to:
- solve quantitative and qualitative problems involving reaction mechanisms, acid–base chemistry, stereochemistry, and reactivity (k2-k4).
- analyze structural features of organic and biological molecules and predict their reactivity (k2-k4,k6)
- apply mechanistic thinking to organic chemistry reaction pathways (k5).
- critically evaluate experimental results and propose plausible chemical explanations (k5, k6)
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Each session is coordinated with the corresponding lecture topic. Sessions include:
- Guided problem solving exercises
- Mechanism drawing practice
- Structure analysis activities
- Occasional short student presentations
1. Introduction to Organic Structures and Functional Groups
- Recognizing and classifying functional groups
- Drawing and interpreting structural formulas
- Exercises connecting functional groups to biomolecular examples
2. Bonding, Hybridization, and Molecular Geometry
- Predicting geometry and polarity of biomolecular fragments
- Hybridization exercises and resonance structures
3. Stereochemistry in Biological Molecules
- Assigning R/S configurations, analyzing optical activity
- Stereochemistry in sugars, amino acids, and nucleotides
- Conformational analysis tasks
4. Acid–Base Chemistry and Aqueous Reactivity
- pKa calculations and buffer problems
- Predicting protonation states of biomolecules at physiological pH
5. Reaction Mechanisms I – Nucleophiles and Electrophiles
- Arrow pushing practice
- Substitution and elimination reactions
6. Reaction Mechanisms II – Carbonyl Chemistry
- Mechanisms of condensation, hydrolysis, and addition reactions
- Peptide bond formation and cleavage
- Carbonyl chemistry in metabolism
7. Organic Chemistry of Nucleic Acids
- Reactivity of phosphates, sugars, and nucleobases
8. Organic Chemistry of Proteins and Peptides
- Organic synthesis of peptides (liquid phase and solid-phase peptide synthesis
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