Organic chemistryis a discipline within chemistry which involves the scientific study of the structure, properties, reactions, mechanisms, synthesis and applications of chemical compounds consisting primarily of carbon and hydrogen, which may contain any number of other elements, including nitrogen, oxygen, the halogens as well as phosphorus, silicon and sulfur. The course has three main focuses:
1. Structures of organic compounds, including nomenclature, stereochemistry, electronic structure, and conformational analysis.
2. Chemical reactions of different functional groups.
3. Structures and reactions of biologically active molecules that occur in living organisms.
Students taking this course have two objectives:
1. To learn organic chemistry
2. To establish the intellectual foundation for other MBBS courses.
Knowledge
At the end of the course, the student should be able to demonstrate his knowledge and understanding on the:
1. Language of the organic chemistry through symbols, structural formulas and equations
2. IUPAC nomenclature of organic molecules
3. Stereochemistry (structural isomers, stereoisomers and conformational analysis)
4. Nature of bonding in organic molecules
5. Reaction mechanism and reactive intermediates
6. Structures and typical reactions of the most important functional groups in organic molecules of following classes: Alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, alkynes, arenes, alkyl halides, alcohols, phenols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives, amines, diazonium salts, and heterocyclic compounds
7. Structures and reactions of biologically active molecules that occur in living organisms, including carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins and peptides, nucleic acids, lipids, steroids and alkaloids
Skills
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Connect the concepts of organic chemistry with those of other related chemical disciplines using the appropriate terminology
2. Represent and draw the 3D structure of a molecule, recognize the various types of isomers, assign the R/S configuration and the E/Z geometry
3. Assign correct IUPAC names for organic molecules
4. Predict and explain how bonding works (molecular structure), and changes (reactivity).
5. Predict reaction products based on chemical structures
6. Understand the fundamental organic reactions including some biological transformations.
7. Locate, read, and understand relevant primary journal articles and scientific review articles in this course.
8. Develop the skill set (including the laboratory skills) necessary for further study of MBBS degree.
