BIOCHEMISTRY

This course is very pivotal to Biochemistry. It is a course that describes all reactions concerned with the storage and generation of metabolic energy required for the biosynthesis of low-molecular weight compounds and energy storage compounds. The course outline includes Degradation and digestion of carbohydrates - sugars, storage polysaccharides and cell walls; Glycolysis, the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA), the Phosphogluconate pathway, the Pentose Phosphate pathway, the Glyoxylate pathway, the Cori cycle, the Calvin pathway; Gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis; Disorders of carbohydrate metabolism; Amino acids as building blocks of proteins, biological functions of proteins; Oxidative degradation of amino acids and metabolism of one carbon unit, biosynthesis of amino acids and some derivatives; The Urea cycle, metabolism of inorganic nitrogen and disorders of amino acid metabolism

The diversity of thousands of proteins found in nature arises from the inherent properties of only 20 common amino acids. Protein Structure and Function (BCH 303) is a theoretical course which describes and explains how amino acids are suited to their roles as building blocks of proteins and provides answers to questions on how diversity of cellular activity is possible based on the characteristic properties of proteins which specifically tailor each protein to its biological role.

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is an exploratory and an important course for the chemistry students, especially designed primarily for 300 level classes and allied disciplines. It is meant to provide in-depth study of organic compounds the activities of functional groups and the aromatics. The topics to be covered include: unsaturated aliphatics, alicyclics, haloalkanes, alcohols, carbonyls, carboxylic acids and derivatives polyfunctional compounds and aromatics.

Physical Chemistry II is designed for students in Chemistry and other allied departments with a view to fostering their understanding on the basic principles of thermodynamics, electrolytes and quantum theory and their application to solving physical chemical problems. The course material covers areview of Gibbs free energy, chemical thermodynamics, introduction to statistical thermodynamics, properties of electrolytes and solutions. The course also introduces quantum mechanics for chemists at the beginner’s level.

Instrumental Methods of Chemical analysis is a course that introduces students to use of electronic modules set up as chemical instruments to extract information from chemical process. The course shall include description of instruments that analyse chemical species base on absorption or emission of electromagnetic radiation. Principles and operating conditions among others shall also be discussed.

This course is designed for a semester in Fortran Programming language for undergraduate Computer Science, Mathematical Science and Engineering students. The course covers general concepts and introduction to Fortran Programming with Fortran 03 (or Fortran 2003). Fortran 03 contains all of the features of the later version Fortran 77/95 needed to write complete and workable Fortran programs. Even though the course may not, in to full details, give everything the students need, it covers the basic features needed to be a good Fortran programmer and an introduction to the important new features of Fortran 03. This course has found profound and significant applications in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, and other related fields.

Survey of current status of microbial genetics (bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and other microorganisms). Mutagenesis, isolation and characterization of mutants. Adaptation and genetics. Gene transfer and its mechanism: cloning vectors, transformation, transduction and lysogeny and, conjugation and conversion. Expression and regulation of genes. General and specialized methods and techniques in microbial genetics. Experiments with virulent phages, temperate phages and lysogenic bacteria, fungi and other lower eukaryotic organisms. Application of microbial genetics to various sectors: agriculture, medicine, food, environment, etc.

This course is an exploratory one. It is the first course in nutritional biochemistry designed primarily for students in biochemistry and allied disciplines. However, it also meets the need of students in other fields, as a course that provides hands-on information and training, on everything concerning food. Topics to be covered include nutritive value of foods, its theory and application of physical, chemical methods of determining the constituents of food, nutritional disorders, nutritional status and food poisoning.

• This course is a theoretical one, aimed at explaining the biochemical reactions andcomponents of the immune system and how the body is able to protect itself against the entry of foreign substances (pathogenic or not). Topics to be covered includes innate immunity, adaptive immunity, comparative immunity, immune dysfunction and its consequences, basic cells and organs of the immune system, immunogenicity versus antigenicity, factors that influence immunogenicity; epitopes, haptens and the study of antigenicity, pattern- recognition receptors, structure and function of immunoglobulins, organization and expression of immunoglobulin genes,generation of antibody diversity, antibody genes and antibody engineering and Principles of Antigen – Antibody interactions

This course is designed to expose the students to the basic principles underlying some biochemical methods and techniques, their methodologies and applications. These biochemical methods and techniques include; 1. Chromatography – (a) paper chromatography, (b) thin layer chromatography, (c) column chromatography (ion exchange and gel filtration), and (d) electrophoresis. 2. Spectroscopy and spectrophotometry – (a) infrared, (b) visible and ultraviolet absorption, (c) fluorescence, and (d) phosphorescence spectroscopy. 3. Centrifugation, ultracentrifugation and isotopic techniques. 4. Viscosity, diffusion, dielectric constant and osmometry. 5. Optical methods – (a) light scattering, (b) optical rotation, (c) dispersion and circular dichroism, (d) refraction, (e) electron microscopy, (f) x – ray diffraction, and (g) nuclear magnetic resonance.

Nucleic acids are informational macromolecules involved in directing the metabolism of other biomolecules. The students already have background knowledge from BCH 201. This course will examine the structure, organization and functions of nucleic acids in detail with focus on nucleic acid metabolism. Students will be introduced to protein synthesis and some associated biochemical processes which will be covered in depth later on.

This course is an exploratory, first course in metabolism of lipids primarily for students in biochemistry. However, it also meets the need of students in other fields of Biochemistry. As a theoretical course, the focus is to impart useful knowledge on the students in order to enhance their understanding on the basic information needed in lipids Biochemistry and to prepare them for other specialised applications to be encountered at higher levels. Topics to be covered include Classification of lipids-fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, waxes, prostaglandin. Structure, function, biosynthesis and catabolism of different classes of lipids of fatty acids,cholesterol,triacylglycerols,phospholipids,glycolipids,sphingolipids,prostanglandis,terpenoids,steroids,hormones,fat soluble vitamins(A-retinol, D-cholecalciferol, E-α-Tocopherol and K-phylloquinone), Acetyl-coA as a central precursor for biosynthesis of lipids,composition, assembly and characteristics of membranes: membrane composition ,lipid micelles, monolayers, bilayers, lipoprotein: role of lipoprotein in the transport of triacylglycerol and cholesterol.

This course is an introductory and the first course in enzymology designed specifically for students in biochemistry. The course will cover a wide range of subjects such as vitamins and co-enzyme, classification of enzyme, mechanism and kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reaction. The final part will deal with the production, extraction, purification, characterisation and application of enzymes.

BCH 314 is a theoretical course aimed at enlightening students on the structure-function relationship of biological membranes. The course outline includes membrane structure and function, role of membrane in cellular processes (signal transduction, solute transport, signaling, etc), plasma membrane - chemical composition, fluidity, dynamic nature (cell fusion and protein diffusion), membrane transport (diffusion, facilitated and active transport, energetics), membrane potential and nerve impulses, structure and function of endomembrane system (endoplasmic reticulum, golgi complex, endosomes, lysosomes, cellular uptake (phagocytosis and endocytosis), chemical thermodynamics, high-energy compounds, electron transport system and oxidative phosphorylation, regulation of ATP production, oxidations-reductions, chemical potentials and electrochemical potentials

This course is made of practical laboratory exercises in different areas of biochemistry. Various methodologies such as chromatography, spectrophotometry, centrifugation and isotopic techniques will be carried out during the practical sessions

This course is about microorganisms and organisms important in sewage systems and waste waters; Ecology of microorganisms in fresh water and polluted water; Self-purification of water; Purification of water; Diseases transmitted by water; Microbiological examination of water; Microbiology of waste disposal; Biological oxygen demand and Chemical oxygen demand; Treatment of sewage water and Municipal water.

• MCB 308 is a course that will help student know how to nutrients needed by microorganisms, isolate microorganisms, and also identify these microorganisms based on their physiological requirements. The course will highlight diversity in microorganisms based on their physical and chemical requirements for growth.