FARM1100 – Pharmaceutical Chemistry

After completing the course, you will be able to:

• describe the structural and bonding relationships in simple drug substances, as well as explain how this gives rise to their geometry and intermolecular forces.
• describe the general physical properties of gases, liquids, solids, and solutions, and explain how the melting and boiling points of chemical compounds are affected by intermolecular forces, pressure and the presence of impurities.
• perform calculations to prepare solutions of drug substances and buffers.
• perform pH calculations and assess how changes in chemical structure can affect the acid-base properties of drug substances.
• evaluate the solubility of drug substances and apply knowledge of functional group acid-base properties to assess how pH changes affect the solubility of drug substances.
• apply knowledge of chemical equilibria, acid-base equilibria, and solubility equilibria to assess and calculate how pharmaceutically relevant equilibria will be affected by changes.
• apply knowledge of chemical kinetics to perform pharmacy-relevant calculations within reaction kinetics.
• explain the relationship between fundamental thermodynamic quantities and the spontaneity of chemical reactions.
• account for central radioactive processes and substances within radiopharmacy.
• apply selected pharmacy-relevant chemical laboratory methods, interpret and communicate results of chemical experiments in writing, and convey professional information to fellow students.

The course is only available to students enrolled at the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Oslo.

Pregnant and breastfeeding: For safety reasons, pregnant and breastfeeding women cannot participate in laboratory exercises in this course. This is due to the use of chemicals in the laboratory exercises that may be harmful to the fetus or child. No exemptions or accommodations for the laboratory exercises will be granted, as these must be completed and approved to fulfill the learning outcomes of the course. Students affected by this should contact the Study administration at the Department of Pharmacy for more information.

The admission requirements for the 5-year Master`s Programme in Pharmacy.

Health, safety and the environment (HSE): There are compulsory HSE courses at the beginning of the first semester. For students who start at the 5-year Master`s Programme in Pharmacy, the following HSE courses are required HMS0501 – Safety and Physical Environment, HMS0502 – Positive Learning Environment, HMS0503 – Laboratory Safety, HMS0506 – Patient Clinic Safety and HMS0507 – Fire Safety.

If you fail to pass the HSE courses within the set deadlines you will not be allowed to continue the study programme until the courses are passed, i.e. the following year at the earliest.

Course exemption: Laws and regulations describing the overall learning outcome regulate the Pharmacy programme. Exemptions are only granted if all learning outcomes in the course are covered.

Lectures, flipped classroom, colloquiums and laboratory exercises.

• 25 hours of lectures (compulsory attendance for the first lecture of the course)
• 16 hours of flipped classroom
• 22 hours of colloquia (50 % compulsory attendance)
• 30 hours of laboratory work including a laboratory lecture given at the start of each exercise (5 exercises with submission of laboratory reports -compulsory)

In order to participate in laboratory exercises, it is a requirement that the HSE course HMS0503 – Laboratory Safety must be passed.

Compulsory participation in the course must be completed and approved and compulsory submissions must be approved to sit the exam. Read more about what applies in the event of absence from compulsory activities (only in Norwegian).

As the teaching involves laboratory and/or field work, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance. Read about your insurance cover as a student.

Access to teaching: A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

Completed and approved compulsory coursework are valid for 3 years.

Final written exam which counts 100 % towards the final grade.

Requirement for taking the exam:

• Completed and participated in all five compulsory laboratory exercises.
• The five laboratory journals must be approved within the given deadlines.
• Approved 50 % attendance in the colloquia.
• Approved attendance for the first lecture of the course.

Withdrawal from an examination: It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

It will also be counted as one of three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses:

• FRM1000 – Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Part I (discontinued)
• KJM1100 – General chemistry (continued)
• KJM1101 – Generell kjemi
• KJM1002 – Introduction to Chemistry (discontinued)

You must bring an approved calculator (only in Norwegian).

The periodic table and the formula collection for the course will be digitally available at the exam.

This course offers both postponed and resit of examination. Read more:

• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Withdrawal during an examination / Resitting an examination