*CHEMISTRY 437

BIOCHEMISTRY LABORATORY I

FALL 2013

Instructor: Duane Smith, Jr., Ph.D.Course section: CHEM 437-6F

Office: Beauregard 134Lab Room: BEA 207

Office Hours: MWF 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.Meeting Time: Fri.1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

TR 9:00 a.m.– 12:00 noon; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

(or as arranged with instructor)

Phone: (985) 448-4165Email:

COURSE DESCRIPTION: *CHEM 437. BiochemistryLaboratoryI. 1-0-3. Prerequisite: CHEM 226. Corequisite: CHEM 435. A laboratory course designed to accompany CHEM 435. Fa only. (26.0202)

* CHEM 437 may be taken for graduate level credit; however to receive graduate level credit, the student must also successfully complete a 10-page research paper over an instructor approved topic, and present a class lecture (45 minutes) over that topic area.

PRE- & CO-REQUISITES: Prerequisite – Chemistry 226

Prerequisite or co-requisites – CHEM 435

REQUIRED TEXT: Experiments in Biochemistry: A Hands-on Approach by Shawn O. Farrell and Lynn E. Taylor, 2nd edition, by Thompson-Brooke/Cole, Inc., 2006. ISBN 0-495-01317-X

COURSE GOAL: To provide students with hands-on experience in the basic principles of biochemistry and an introduction into different biochemical techniques.

STUDENT OUTCOME OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of this course, the students will be familiar with the different procedures for both quantitative and qualitative determination of biological macromolecules such as carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, enzymes, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Students will become familiar with procedures and techniques for chemical titration, cell culture, cell fractionation, lipid extraction and quantitation, and thin layer chromatography (TLC). Students will also become familiar with procedures and techniques for protein extraction, quantitation, and a variety of separation techniques such as column chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and Western blot analysis.

Grades will be based on a 10-point grading scale.

90 – 100A

80 – 89B

70 – 79C

60 – 69D

<60F

Your final grade will be based on the following:

Pre-lab work: (Pre-lab questions, Title, Procedure) 10%

Lab work: (Observations, Data, Calculations, Results, Conclusion) 40%

Midterm exam: 25%

Final exam: 25%

Pre-lab may also include calculations of sample problems. These will be of the same type of calculations that you will be performing on your data. The Microsoft program EXCEL is an easy spreadsheet program and can be used for plotting graphs.

Grade for lab work is the average grade for all experiments. For each experiment, your lab report will be graded on a 25-point scale. All DATA and formulas used for calculations are to be recorded in Black ink directly into your notebook!!! Maintain a Table of Contents on Page One of your notebook. This should be maintained on a current basis at all times.

Make your notebook as complete as possible. Make a copy of your computer-generated reports. Turn one copy into your instructor and keep one in your notebook along with the original lab report. Record all FORMULAS used in the experiments. Write a balanced chemical equation in the Conclusions, if needed. Turn in the lab report for the previous lab at the beginning of each new class. The completion of lab reports is expected in a timely manner.

Lab Notebooks: Students will use notebooks that are required by the lab instructor (or Chemistry Department). The lab reports will follow these guidelines:

  1. Name, Date, and Title of the Experiment
  2. Objective of the Experiment
  3. Procedure(s)
  4. Chemical Reactions
  5. Results and Conclusion

Reports are due within ONE week after completion of the experiment(s). If reports are not submitted on time, a 5-point reduction in grade will be given for any and all late assignments.

College and Classroom policies:

Absence and Drop/Adds – Absencesamounting to the equivalent of 10% of class time, whether consecutive or not, is grounds for the student being dropped from the course. You are expected to be present, prepared, and alert at all sessions. The responsibility for withdrawing from the course, if you decide not to continue, lie completely with the student. Failure to drop a course by the final deadline will result in your receiving a grade of “F”. The last day to drop the course with a “W” is Tuesday, November 5, 2013.

If a student misses a class, he or she is still responsible for the material covered during that class period, and is still required to do a lab report. However, the lab report will be minus 5-points for absence. If a student misses an exam, a makeup will not be given unless the student notifies the instructor in advance of his or her absence. If no advance notice is given, the student must provide documentation as to the reason for having been absent, such as death of a close family friend (death notice), illness (doctor’s notice), or court appearance (summons). The student will have one week to complete the makeup exam.

ASSISTANCE WITH STUDYING AND ASSIGNMENTS

  • The Tutoring Center at 143 Peltier Hall. Call 985-448-4100, email , or visit
  • The WritingCenter at 144 Peltier Hall. Call 985-448-4100, email , or visit
  • Online Tutoring through Moodle. Look for the Brainfuse log-in link on the home-page,

Please notify the Instructor if you have a disability, so accommodations can be made. If you have a documented disability that requires assistance, you will need to register with the Office of Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Office of Disability Services is located at 158A Shaver Gym. The phone number is (985) 448-4430 (TDD 449-7002).

ACADEMIC GRIEVANCES: The proper procedure for filing a grade appeal or grievances related to other academic matters is listed in Section 5 of the Code of Student Conduct and at the following link:

CONTINUED LEARNING FOLLOWING AN EXTREME EMERGENCY: In order to make continued learning possible following an extreme emergency, students are responsible for:

  • reading regular emergency notification on the NSU website;
  • knowing how to use and access Moodle (or university designated electronic delivery system);
  • being familiar with emergency guidelines;
  • evacuating with textbooks and other course materials;
  • knowing their Moodle (or designated system) student login and password;
  • contacting faculty regarding their intentions for completing the course.

Faculty are responsible for:

  • their development in the use of the Moodle (or designated) software;
  • having a plan for continuing their courses using only Moodle and email;
  • continuing their course in whatever way suits the completion of the course best, and being creative in the continuation of these courses;
  • making adjustments or compensations to a student’s progress in special programs with labs, clinical sequences or the like, only in the immediate semester following the emergency.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students working together, as a group, on an experiment are still required to turn in their OWN work, including the results section containing any tables, graphs, or figures, and conclusion.

NO AUDIBLE BEEPERS OR CELLPHONES WILL BE ALLOWED IN CLASS. Be sure that these devices are turned off as you enter the classroom. These devices are a distraction to the instructor as well as your classmates. If there is an emergency and you need to respond please let the instructor know of this before the class starts.

Note: Those students taking this course for graduate credit hours are required to conduct a research project, as well as, give an oral presentation at the end of the semester.

Safety Rules: All students WILL follow American Chemical Society (ACS) safety rules. If he/she does not follow these rules, he/she will NOT be allowed to carry out the experiments. All students have received a copy of the Laboratory Safety Agreement, read and understood the rules, and signed an acknowledgement agreement that they have done so, and agree to abide by these rules. The student has also successfully completed and satisfactorily passed a Laboratory Safety quiz.

This syllabus is not a contract. Examination dates and experiments covered will depend on the situation and time limits.

FridayLab Schedule:

DateChapterLab Description

Aug. 23Safety, Lab Reports

Aug. 301Statistics, Scientific measurements

Sept. 62Acids, Bases, Buffers, and Solutions

Sept. 13 3Spectroscopy: Beer’s Law and Standard Curves

Sept. 20 3Lowry/BioRad Protein Assays

Sept. 274Lipid Extraction

Oct. 44Thin Layer Chromatography (Lipids, AA)

Oct. 11Lab Midterm

Oct.18Fall Break

Oct. 255Enzyme Purification – Beef heart LDHNov. 1 6 Ion Exchange Chromatography

Nov. 8 8 Enzyme Kinetics (Km, Vmax)

Nov. 15 9SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

Nov. 22Final Exam

Nov. 29Thanksgiving