SCIENZE BIOMEDICHE
Module CHIMICA ORGANICA E BIOCHIMICA

Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: MASSIMO CARUSO

Expected Learning Outcomes

Provide students with a solid foundation in organic and biological chemistry and basic knowledge of the structure, function, and biochemical processes of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Course Structure

Frontal lessons with learning tests at the end of the lesson

Required Prerequisites

In order to be able to understand and attend the course profitably, it is useful for the student to have a fair knowledge of the basic elements of general and inorganic chemistry, cellular biology, as well as the basic foundations of general physics.

Attendance of Lessons

According to the degree course regulations.

Detailed Course Content

Elements of Organic Chemistry:

- Carbon and its hybridizations

- Alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes. Saturated and unsaturated molecules. Structural formulas and IUPAC nomenclature of molecules

- Functional groups (alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids, thiols, esters, etc.)

- Isomerism

Presentation of the classes of biological molecules:

- Carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides. Aldoses and ketoses, Fisher formulas and Haworth projection, cyclization, mutarotation, spatial conformation, O-glycosidic bond.
- Lipids: saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, PUFA, triglycerides, phospholipids, glycolipids, sphingolipids, cholesterol (and derivatives), waxes and terpenes
- Nucleotides and nucleic acids: Nucleotides, nitrogenous bases, DNA and RNA, DNA mutations and denaturation, methylation. Nucleotides as energy carriers, components of enzymatic binders and chemical messengers.
- Amino acids and proteins: classification of amino acids, structure, peptide bond, structure of proteins, examples of particular proteins (antibodies and hemoglobin).
- Enzyme kinetics
- metabolic cycles

Contribution of teaching to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Goal N. 3: health and well-being

- Target 3.9

- Target 3.a

- Target 3.b

- Target 3.d

Textbook Information

  • Chimica e biochimica. M. Bertoldi, D. Colombo, et al. Edises
  • Fondamenti di biochimica di Lehninger. Nelson - Cox - Melloni.  Zanichelli
  • Chimica e biochimica. Per le lauree triennali dell'area biomedica. M. Samaja, R. Pavoni. Piccin
  • Chimica & biochimica. M Stefani, N. Taddei. Zanichelli



AuthorTitlePublisherYearISBN
Nelson - Cox - MelloniFondamenti di biochimica di Lehninger Zanichelli20219788808729774
M. Bertoldi, D. Colombo, et al.Chimica e biochimicaEdises20159788879598781
M. Samaja, R. Pavoni.Chimica e biochimica. Per le lauree triennali dell'area biomedica.Piccin20179788829928774
M Stefani, N. Taddei.Chimica & biochimica.Zanichelli20179788808656711

Course Planning

 SubjectsText References
1All program topics1, 2, 3, 4

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

During the course, verification tests will be offered to evaluate progress


At the end of the course the exam will take place with an oral exam.


The following parameters will be taken into account for the attribution of the final grade:

Score 29-30 cum laude: the student has an IN-DEPTH knowledge of the subject, has excellent communication skills and masters the technical-scientific language.

Score 26-28: the student has a GOOD knowledge of the subject and explains the topics clearly using appropriate technical-scientific language;

Score 22-25: the student has a DISCRETE knowledge of the subject, even if limited to the main topics and explains the topics quite clearly with a reasonable command of language;

Score 18-21: the student has the MINIMUM knowledge of the subject and explains the topics clearly enough although the language skills are poorly developed;

Exam not passed: the student DOES NOT HAVE THE MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE required of the main contents of the course. The ability to use specific language is very poor or non-existent and he is not able to apply the acquired knowledge independently.

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

During the course, the professor will administer numerous ongoing tests with sample questions similar to those in the final written exam. The oral exam focuses on all parts of the program in order to verify the student's complete preparation and maturity in managing connections on different biochemical aspects
Examples of questions can be:
- Talk about carbohydrates
- Difference between epimers and enantiomers
- What type of bond is the peptide bond

VERSIONE IN ITALIANO