Learning Objectives
Exam I

Chapter 1: The Scope of Biochemistry
 

•Know the range of possible biochemical questions and some of the field’s distinguishing characteristics.

•Understand microscopy in its many forms

Chapter 2: The Matrix of Life: Weak Interactions in an Aqueous Environment
 

•Understand the atoms, bonding, and molecules important to life

•Know properties of water and forces important in aqueous environment

•Review strong and weak acid-base reactions

•Review concepts of equilibria

•Understand pH and physiological pH ranges

•Know how to solve weak acid and base equilibrium problems

•Know the Henderson-Hasselbach equation (and when to use it):
 

pH =pKa + log([conj.base]/[wk. acid] )

•Understand buffered solutions (What shifts the equilibrium?)

•Predict charge on a species based on pKa and the solution’s pH

•Understand interactions between charged species, solubility, ion strength

•Understand the principles of gel electrophoresis

Chapter 3: The Energetics of Life
 

•Understand work w, and heat q

•Understand Internal energy E, Enthalpy H, Entropy S, Free energy G

•Understand DG and its relation to the favored direction for a reaction

•Predict which direction of a reaction results in increased entropy

•Use free energy equation, DG = DH - TDS, to predict spontaneity

•Use DG° = - RT ln Keq, to calculate either Keq or  DG°

•Understand coupling of reactions to result in favorable DG

•Know properties of ATP and other high energy compounds

Chapter 4: Nucleic Acids
 

•Know nucleic acid structures including all five bases, both sugars

•Know nucleic acid Watson Crick base pairing (hydrogen bonding)

•Understand properties of various nucleic acids, phosphodiester link

•Describe the primary structure of nucleic acids

•Describe secondary and tertiary nucleic acid structures

•Know the double helix, b-, a-, and z-DNA, supercoiling: L = T + W

•Describe nucleic acid denaturation (melting)

•Know: The Central Dogma: DNA->RNA->protein

•Use RNA sequence data to determine protein primary structure

•Know techniques and principles for NA sequencing, X-ray diffraction, chemical synthesis of polypeptides