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SCIE13012 - Natural Products Chemistry

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This interdisciplinary unit integrates principles from chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and environmental science to enhance your understanding of chemistry concepts. Within this unit, you will explore organic compounds derived from living organisms, including plants, fungi, bacteria, and marine life, uncovering their diverse biological uses and applications. You will develop proficiency in advanced laboratory compliance procedures and practice skills for identifying, analyzing, and applying effective inquiry-based learning strategies in a laboratory setting. The core theoretical concepts encompass bioassay-guided isolation and characterization, biosynthesis of complex molecules, the influence of drug discovery on research direction, ecological roles within ecosystems (e.g., plant-herbivore interactions, pollination, defense mechanisms, and chemical signaling), indigenous traditional use that highlights ethnobotanical knowledge, and the commercial-economic significance spanning industries like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agriculture. This unit will equip you with essential attributes for further research studies or a career in chemical sciences-related fields. It fosters an appreciation for the value of comprehensive knowledge in natural products chemistry, particularly in relation to biochemistry, bioactivity, pharmacology, functional foods, manufacturing, environmental studies, and medical applications. Additionally, you will enhance your practical investigative skills by applying theoretical knowledge to operate and maintain key chemical analysis instruments while conducting comprehensive bioassay-guided isolation and characterization of bioactive natural products.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Completion of 72 credit points.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

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Residential School Compulsory Residential School
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Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2024

There are no availabilities for this unit on or after Term 1 - 2024

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 20%
2. Practical Assessment 30%
3. Examination 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of fundamental and advanced chemistry concepts, emphasizing the applications of natural products across diverse fields
  2. Acquire practical skills in bioassay-guided isolation and characterization of natural products from source organisms
  3. Gain an interdisciplinary perspective by integrating principles from chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and environmental science to explore the diverse roles and applications of natural products
  4. Use critical thinking and analytical skills to assess the historical and current importance of natural products in drug discovery, ecology, and industries like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agriculture.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - Practical Assessment • • •
3 - Examination • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • •
5 - Team Work •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • •
8 - Ethical practice •
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10