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Organic Chemistry of Life
CHEM 27

Course Information

Description

Chemical principles that govern the processes driving living systems are illustrated with examples drawn from biochemistry, cell biology, and medicine. The course deals with organic chemical reactivity (reaction mechanisms, structure-reactivity relationships), with topics specifically relevant to the life sciences (chemistry of enzymes, nucleic acids, drugs, natural products, cofactors), and with applications of chemical biology to medicine and biotechnology. An understanding of organic reactions and their "arrow-pushing” mechanisms is required.

Course Notes

Students who completed Chem S-17 in Summer 2023 or before have the option to be exempted from the lab component of Chem 27. Similarly, students who have completed both Chem 20 and Chem 30 may be exempted. If students choose to be lab exempt, exams will make up a greater percentage of their final grade. The course syllabus describes the grading scheme in greater detail.

School Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Credits 4
Cross Reg

Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Course Component Lecture
Subject Chemistry
Grading Basis FAS Letter Graded
Exam/Final Deadline May 14, 2026
General Education N/A
Quantitative Reasoning with Data N/A
Divisional Distribution Science & Engineering & Applied Science
Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate Students