Molecular Biology 1

Do companion questions simultaneously with the videos.

To help you focus on particular content in the lectures. Most of the video lectures will also have companion questions. I suggest you open up the quiz and preview the questions. They should mostly be in order. So read question 1, start watching and look out for the answer. Then read the 2nd questions, continue the video, and again look for the next topic.

The video content is DENSE. Think of a video as basically double what a normal lecture would be. So if it's 20 minutes, it would about 40 minutes in a traditional lecture.  For this reason, the videos are only broken up to make the content more digestible.  On your end you should pause often.  Also, think about taking a short break in between each video, or even in the middle of videos.

Youtube & quiz tips

(FYI, you can open the video directly in YouTube by clicking the "Link" or by clicking the "YouTube" logo at the bottom right of the inline video. It's nice to have 2 tabs (better yet if you have 2 screens!) open so it's easier to move back and forth between the video and quiz.

Most of the quiz format should be self-evident, but you should be careful of:

• • mark all that apply / multiple answers questions. Here you choose as many (1 or more) answers that might be correct
  • answer randomization, sometime answer choices will be moved around, so don't rely on a previous attempt.
  • Some quizzes allow multiple attempts.

Re-take these companion questions until you get a perfect score. There is no limit and no deadline. However, the due date is a good guideline because that will be when we cover it in zoom. Also, if you get too far behind, it will be hard to catch up and understand. 

Good luck! and be sure to talk to me if there are any problems.

We will be using and discussing the common molecules found in organisms throughout the semester, so it's important to gain some fundamental understanding of these major molecule classes. These first videos will introduce you to some common elements to theses molecule, some chemistry, introduce you to biological molecules, and cover carbohydrates and lipids.

Do the MolBio 1 companion questions together with the videos to help guide you on topics to focus on.

Learning objectives pt 1

• Understand what ions and isotopes are
• Know the major bond types: covalent, ionic & hydrogen
• Know how to illustrate covalent, ionic & hydrogen bonds
• Know the relative bond strengths
• Know what ions, polar and non-polar molecules are
• Understand the broad hydrophilic and hydrophobic classifications

Learning objectives pt 2

• Know the major classes
• Know what a polymer & monomer mean
• Understand the 2 major chemical reactions: condensation & hydrolysis

Learning objectives pt 2

• Know the terms mono- di- tri- poly-
• Know the units of carbohydrates - saccharides
• Be able to give example of simple sugars and complex carbonydrates
• Recognize what 1', 2', 3' etc indicate
• Know what lipids are (anything hydrophobic)
• Know the example of lipids: triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol
• Know how phospholipids are represented and why
• know that phospholipids are amphipathic
• Know how phospholipids form membranes and why they are fluid

If you are interested in a more in depth explanation of chemistry topics, try these videos. They are from my General Biology course. They are actually review videos for students who have already taken chemistry, but you can gain an understanding without any previous knowledge.

Reading the Periodic Table Links to an external site.

Chemical Bonds Links to an external site.

How to Draw Molecules Links to an external site.