MSci Medical Physiology

This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 21/22 and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.  Please see Blackboard / course unit related emails for any further updates.

Part A:  Reactions of Molecules Relevant To Biological Systems

The first 14 lectures will cover the basics of reaction mechanisms and describe a range of functional groups and their reactions. The lectures will illustrate the biological relevance of esterification, imine formation, amide bond formation, glycosylation, methylation, addition across double bonds, phosphate diester, and aromatic/heteroaromatic chemistry.  Specific biological molecule classes used to illustrate these reaction types will include; peptides (peptide bond formation, methylation); lipids (esterification, electrophilic addition to alkenes); and carbohydrates (esterification and alkylation, imine formation, enolisation, glycosylation).

Part B: Analysing Molecular Structure and Function

The remaining lectures will introduce and explain the utility of a range of techniques for analyzing and determining molecular structures, covering NMR, fluorescence, IR and UV spectroscopic methods and mass spectrometry.

• to illustrate the importance of key functional group properties and reaction mechanisms to the understanding of biochemical properties
• to appreciate the analytical methods available for molecular structure analysis.

After completing the course unit students should be able to:

• Describe and explain general types of reaction mechanism (substitution, addition, elimination), building on knowledge of molecular structure, thermodynamics and kinetics gained in CHEM10021.
• Identify functional groups and fully describe mechanisms of their reactivity in chemical reaction relevant to biological systems, e.g. as part of metabolic processes, or a toxic response.
• Explain how molecules may be sensitive to particular spectroscopic techniques and describe how such techniques are applied in structure and function analysis of biological molecules.
• Predict and interpret spectra of simple molecules.
• Interpret and derive useful information from mass spectrometry data of proteins and peptides.

The lectures are supported by workshops and eLearning material on Blackboard (online assignments and assessments).  The workshops develop problem-solving skills related to chemical concepts, provide key support for lecture material, provide formative assessment and feedback on progress and valuable exam preparation.  The eLearning modules provide summative assessment at certain stages as the course progresses.  Feedback in the case of these assessments is received as a mark or grade.  The online questions provide important exam practise and guide self-study through the lecture material.  The eLearning component is thus an integral part of the course and includes a discussion forum.

NOTE: Bruice, PY Organic Chemistry is the recommended general text, however, alternatives are also listed below. Lecturers may also recommend reading specific elements of their teaching material.

• Bruice, PY () Organic Chemistry, 4th (or 3rd) edition. Prentice Hall
• Carey, FA () Organic Chemistry. McGraw-Hill, Inc.
• Fox, MA & Whitesell, JA () Organic Chemistry. Bartlett and Jones

Tuition fees for home students will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year. In England and Wales, tuition fees for home undergraduate students are subject to the Government fee cap, which the Government has announced will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year.

Government policy is to increase the fee cap on an annual basis to reflect inflation (i.e. increasing costs), and the tuition fee home students pay in subsequent academic years will reflect any increases in the Government fee cap (which we will communicate to you as soon as we can in advance of the relevant academic year).

Tuition fees for international students will be £38,000 for the 2027/28 academic year. For subsequent academic years, the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fee by up to 7% each year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our education and wider student experience.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).