Class General Biochemistry

Biochemistry is a science that deals with the study of the chemical processes relevant to living organisms. This CU is fundamental for understanding the chemistry of food and the study of nutrition and nutrition.

I - Introduction to Biochemistry.

1. Biochemistry and its objectives.
2. Origin of life.
3. The cell - a fundamental unit of biochemical processes.
4. Organic chemistry with interest in Biochemistry
5. Nomenclature in Organic Chemistry
6. Chirality and Biological Activity

II - The water.

1. Properties of water.
2. Acids, bases and buffers.
3. Amino acids and proteins.

III - The amino acids.

1. The peptide bond.
2. Structural levels of proteins.
3. Active and regulatory centers.
4. Myoglobin and hemoglobin.
5. The enzymes.

IV - Lipids.

1. Definition and classification of lipids.
2. The biological membranes.

V - Glícidos.

1. Definition and vocabulary.
2. Classification and properties.

VI - Biological information.

1. Composition and primary structure of nucleic acids.
2. Three-dimensional structure of DNA.
3. Three-dimensional structure of the various RNAs.

Knowledge progression tests throughout the semester were carried out at home through the learning platform. Pedagogical games in the classroom capture students' attention and motivate learning.

• Voet, D. & Voet. J.G. Biochemistry, (4^th Ed). New York: John Wiley & Sons. (2010)
• Halpern M, Freire A, Quintas A. Bioquímica Organização Molecular da Vida. Lidel (2008)
• Berg, J.M. et al. Biochemistry (7^th Ed). New York: Freeman and Company. (2010)
• Devlin T. Textbook of biochemistry; with clinical correlations. (7^th Ed). Blucher (2011)
• Weil, J.H. Bioquímica Geral (2ª Ed). Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. (2000)