CHEM 4124L: Biochemistry Lab
Course Description
Biochemistry 4124 Lab is taken in conjunction with
the lecture component of the course, with students receiving a single combined
grade (80% from lecture, 20% from lab). The class meets one afternoon
per week for 3 hours. Although specific experiments will vary from
semester to semester, the commitment to generalized topics usually remains
fairly constant (+/- 1 lab period), and topics are always organized to
coincide with those of lecture. Topics in laboratory include:
3-4 periods on amino acids and proteins; 2 periods on enzyme kinetics;
1 period on lipids; 1 period on carbohydrates; 1-2 periods on DNA and recombinant
techniques; and 1 period on metabolism. Detailed experimental handouts
are provided before each laboratory session. Because experiments
in Biochemistry are quite long and usually require at least 2.5 hours to
complete, it is imperative that students arrive knowing most of the safety
and procedural details. Students are therefore required to review
these handouts in preparation for a short quiz given at the first of the
pre-lab lecture period, prior to performing the actual experiment.
An extensive list of possible questions is generally provided the week
before from which 2-3 are selected for the quiz. Students then complete
the experiment and the following week are expected to turn in a well-written,
detailed laboratory report addressing their results and a series of related
questions. Lab reports are required to be neatly typed and, to emphasize
the importance of effectively communicating their results, are graded for
style and clarity of presentation as well as content.
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Syllabus
Example Lab Experiments
Potential Questions for
Pre-Lab Quizes