**note: dgds start the week of january 18th. The laboratory component is coordinated by luc poitras (lpoitras@uottawa. ca) and jos e coutu (josee. coutu@uottawa. ca). **note: if you cannot attend during this hour, please email to make an appointment. Lecture notes and lecture recordings will be posted to blackboard. Please also post course-related questions to the discussion forum so that you can help and get help from your peers, as well as your tas. The chemistry and biological properties of amino acids, protein, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates. Priority given to students for whom this course is mandatory. This course will introduce you to the fundamental concepts of biochemistry, with a focus on the structures and basic functions of the building blocks of life. These building blocks include amino acids, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates. The general objectives of this course are: understand the chemical structures fundamental to biochemistry, understand the driving forces (i. e. thermodynamics) that promote macromolecular structure and function.