Office Hours: Sims312A - TR 4:00-5:15 [email for an appointment if these times are not convenient]

Required Course Texts:

• MedChem:
• An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry 3rd Edition, Graham L. Patrick, 2005
• GenChem: One of these two are required:
• Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight, 4th Ed, Atkins & Jones, 2008
• Chemistry & Chemical Reactivity, 6th Ed, Kotz, Treichel, and Weaver, 2006

Course Objectives:

• Strengthen thinking skills, improve study habits, and demonstrate ability to learn fundamental principles from large amounts of scientific information.
• Develop a understanding of relevant chemistry in molecular medicine and neuroscience.
• Learn fundamental chemical science principles necessary to understand the scientific basis for molecular medicine

Course Outline: This is the second half of General Chemistry, an introductory chemistry course for science and engineering majors.  This course focuses on learning chemistry by examining molecular medicine.  Fundamental General Chemistry principles such as molecular structure, solubility, noncovalent interactions, thermodynamics, equilibria, kinetics, and electrochemistry represent the primary reasons for how and why drugs work.  Students leave this course with both with a better understanding of relevant chemistry principles and fundamental insights into the scientific basis of modern medicines.  This knowledge is useful for future science courses, is very helpful in better understanding human health at the molecular level, and is extremely important in being able to make informed decisions as scientifically literate citizens in a society increasingly engaged with molecular medicine.

Perhaps most importantly, molecules that enter our bodies are of tremendous human interest, whether these substances be medications, nutrients, toxins, or substances of abuse. Learning science by understanding how these molecules interact with and affect us can be a very rewarding and enriching experience.  Such knowledge and insight can also lead to discoveries that help to improve the quality and length of human life.

The thematic approach being used in the course is organized in the following manner:

· The first half of the course examines the various types of molecular drug targets in the human body and provides a molecular framework for how our body works.  The first half also introduces several important quantitative relationships that underlie much of chemistry and biochemistry.

· The second half of the semester examines a number of specific topics of interest in medicinal chemistry to include anti-inflammatory therapeutics, steroids, cancer treatments, nerve synapse drug targets, neural signaling, psychoactive drugs, and opioid analgesics.

Schedule: Lectures are scheduled TR at the appointed hour and location. The course syllabus provides the specific schedule as the semester progresses.  All course information is posted on the chemistry department's web page (chem.winthrop.edu).

Class Preparation: This is both a very interesting and a very challenging course.  Once a principle is covered during a lesson, students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of that concept throughout the remainder of the semester.  Lecture discussions will assume that students understand material from previous lessons. Graded problems throughout the course often cannot be answered without being able to successfully apply previously discussed principles.  It is very important for students to continuously review course material.  Athletes practice every day, often for years, to master specific skills.  Successful students (and faculty) have learned to continuously reexamine those topics and principles that are not completely clear to them.  Students are also encouraged to study in groups; teaching peers is perhaps the most effective way to learn chemistry.

Students are responsible for all assigned study material and for all material discussed in lecture.  A great deal of important information will be provided during lecture; take excellent notes!!   Lectures are not designed to reiterate assigned readings but to focus on conveying important information from various sources to understand the General Chemistry concepts that represent the molecular basis of modern medicine.  You are expected to spend whatever time it requires to develop and to demonstrate an understanding of these subjects and lecture materials.  You must complete each reading and problem assignments prior to class.  For each class I recommend that you do the following:

• Study previous lecture notes; you are strongly encouraged to organize and rewrite them immediately after each lecture.
• Study and review course material topics relevant to previous class discussions.
• Read assigned lesson for upcoming lecture, take notes and identify questions
• Work assigned problems

Graded Exercises

• Quizzes will be routinely be given, each be worth 30 points, and often be given at the beginning of class.  These quizzes will include questions to evaluate understanding of material covered during the previous lecture as well as questions to evaluate competency in problem solving skills from sets due that day.
• Assigned problem sets will each be worth 15-30 points; only specific problems will be graded.  Problem sets are due at the beginning of class; no credit will be given for sets turned in late.
• Two tests will be given and be weighted approximately 150 points each.
• The cumulative final exam will be worth at least 300 points. You must score better than 50% on the final exam to pass the course. You must score an A on the final exam to earn an A in the course.

Grades: Percentages will be calculated based upon total earned points divided by total points tested. There will be no makeups for graded exercises. You must score better than 50% on the final exam to pass the course.  You must score an A on the final exam to earn an A in the course. The following grade range will be used: A = 93-100%; A- = 88-92%; B+ = 85-87%; B = 80-84%; B- = 76-79%; C+ = 72-75%; C = 66-71%; D = 56-65%; F = <56%

Attendance: You are expected to attend all class meetings for the full scheduled time.  A student who is absent for any reason is responsible for obtaining the assignments from the instructor or a classmate. Roll will be taken occasionally and the attendance practices of students will be taken into account when final grades are assigned. Absence from a test or quiz without a written doctor's excuse or similar external agency valid documentation is inexcusable.  An unexcused student absence will result in a zero for the missed grade AND a deduction of 20-100 points (determined by the weight of the missed test) from the student's previously earned points in the course.  For excused absences, missed exercises will not be included in neither the earned nor total points when calculating overall course grades.