Objective: The primary goal of this course in general medical chemistry is to present the fundamental principles and chemical foundation essential to understanding physiological chemistry for students of medicine. Throughout the course, chemistry is presented as an experimental science with biomedical examples in which theories evolve and change as new information is acquired to show how this vast science is applied to areas of interest to the medical students.

Theory Lecture Topics:

• Radioactivity, radiation dosages medical uses of radioactive isotopes.
• Gases & their medical relations and diffusion of respiratory gases.
• Aqueous solutions, solubility, concentrations of solutions.
• Electrolytes & nonelectrolytes. Osmosis & osmotic pressure. Colloids and their properties, emulsions, emulsifying agents, dialysis, haemodialysis.
• Acid and Bases, pH buffer acid-base balance in blood.
• Reaction rate, activation energy chemical equilibrium.
• Organic Chemistry: hybridization, double & triple bonds, resonance.
• Alkanes.
• Alkenes: geometric isomers, importance in living systems.
• Aromatic compounds.
• Stereoisomers: Chiral compounds, optical activity diastereomers, mesostereoisomers.
• Alcohols: phenols, ethers, thiols.
• Aldehydes & Ketones.
• Carboxylic acids: Esters & thioesters.

Objectives:

• To introduce the students to the lab. Tools and equipments and train them how to handle these equipments.
• To teach the student the safety procedures when dealing with chemicals and tools.
• To enable the student to prove practically some of the theoretical scientific facts.
• To make the student familiar with biochemical reaction (in-vivo & in-vitro).
• To help the student to understand the basis of chemical and physiological processes.

Practical Lectures:

• General laboratory apparatuses, safety procedures & first Aid.
• Analysis of silver group.
• Acid-Base titration: The standardization of basic solutions.
• Equivalent mass of an unknown acid.
• pH & pH Meters.
• Osmosis & dialysis.
• Preparation of some colloids.
• Determination of an unknown chloride.
• The hydrolysis of methyl acetate with HCl catalyst.
• The adsorption of acetic acid from aqueous solution by charcoal.
• Aspirin synthesis & purification by re-crystallization.
• A test for functional groups.
• General urine examination.

Objective: Biochemistry I, an introduction to the structure and function of biological molecules, is designed to study the molecules and macromolecules in living systems through an application of the principles of organic and physical chemistry. This will include an examination of the structure of and function of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, hormones, trace elements in detail in order to understand how their unique chemical and physical properties contribute to their biological function. The structures, specificities and kinetics of selected enzymes will illustrate the enormous diversity of this group of catalytic molecules.

Theory Lecture Topics:

• Carbohydrate chemistry (4 hours): Definition, classification, biological roles. Monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides. Mucopolysaccharides & glycoproteins.
• Lipids (2 hours): Definition & classification. Fatty acids, prostaglandins. Glycolipids, sphingolipids & lipoproteins.
• Amino acid chemistry (2 hours): Definition, classification, properties, & reactions.
• Protein (4 hours): Structure, conformation & denaturation. Peptide bond, glutathione, insulin & glucagons. Functional role: Hb, glycoprotein, collagen. Protein technology.
• Enzymes (4 hours): Nature, nomenclature, & classifications & types of kinetic reactions.