Chemistry for Health Science
Water and Solutions
An introduction to solution chemistry, Unit 1 will focus on the characteristics of water and solutions. Students will explore the polarity of water and its relevance to body chemistry, electrolytes, diffusion and osmosis, osmotic pressure (isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic solutions for intravenous application), and ionization. Emphasis will be on the importance of ions in the body and units of concentration used in medications and intravenous solutions (percent, parts per million, and molarity). As a culminating experience, students will research the application of solutions, diffusion, and osmosis in the human body and/or medical field and present their findings to the class.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
Organic Chemistry
As students engage in a variety of hands-on laboratory experiments, they will be developing skills necessary for laboratory investigations in a chemistry course while also learning about the types of molecules that are essential for life. These skills and understandings will support students as they advance in this course and any future chemistry courses. Content emphasis will be on the structure of organic compounds and how different functional groups impact the properties of organic compounds. To demonstrate their ability to apply their understanding from this unit, students will research the application of carbon compounds and their functional groups to either the medical field or physiology.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Collective Intelligence, Product Creation
Pharmaceuticals
Students will investigate chemical structures and general properties of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and the relevance of nucleic acids as they seek to understand the natural polymers in the human body and how they function to maintain health. Students will explore the properties of medications with regard to how the structure of medicinal compounds relates to their functionality. Emphasis will be on the application of carbohydrates to medicinal drug choice (chirality of drugs), the role of lipids in cell membranes (statins and the biochemistry of cholesterol), and how enzymes regulate body processes. Students will have a culminating experience in which they will act as a pharmaceutical representative as they teach others about the specifics of a pharmaceutical drug.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Collective Intelligence