uwloo

CHEM 233Fundamentals of Biochemistry

Units
0.50
Faculty
Science
Subject
Chemistry

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Chemistry of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids, with special emphasis on representative proteins and enzymes, including hemoglobin, cytochrome c and chymotrypsin.

Prerequisites

Antirequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
      • CHEM237 - Introductory Biochemistry (0.50)
    • Not completed any of the following:

Leads to

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00166540 / 60MWF 12:30–13:20
LEC 701250427 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10169800 / 60F 14:30–15:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

74% liked it66% easy86% useful

From 35 ratings and 5 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • This course was poorly organized. But it is useful. Frustrating at times as it is never clear what you need to know or study. For example, on our midterm review, it said need to know, X, Y, and Z, as well as "anything else I said in class". Stupid assignments that made no sense and didn't even have ideal answers in mind.

    Dec 2018 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • I'm 1000% sure that another university probably teaches this better. Due to the fact they try to cover so much material in 1 course, the professor ends up cutting out material and saying "hmmm we dont have enough time to teach this, so go home and learn it yourself". Like, if the professors have to cut content because they want to teach tons of stuff then not only is there way too much stuff that's being tested, we are also missing out. Should be split over two courses.

    Aug 2024 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This course covered a lot of similar content you may have learned briefly in high school biochem but with MUCH more detail and more chemistry :D ! That means reactions, catalytic mechanisms, drawing structures, understanding HOW enzymes like hemoglobin change shape, understanding some physiological processes, etc. So, if you like that stuff, you can do very well here! The midterms and exams were fair and straightforward, but the multiple choice is a bit tough and tests some small details you may overlook when studying. You will also be asked to draw catalytic mechanisms for certain enzymes and draw/explain structures from memory. Overall the course was super interesting and I would take it…

    Aug 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Extremely important foundation for anyone interested in biochemistry. Required a high amount of memorization, but was pretty straightforward.

    Sep 2016 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Awesome, awesome course. Very interesting to learn the basics of biochemistry.

    Nov 2012 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

23 posts and comments in 17 threads mention CHEM 233, January 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Winter 2024

Physical Sciences chemistry (co-op) 1 point, 0 comments

“I got into the physical science undergrad program and I want to major in chemistry. Im aware that UW is mainly known for CS/ eng/ math and Ive heard their co-op is very focused in those fields …”

u/iiSoleHorizons: “I’m currently a third year chem student and could give you a little bit of insight, however this is kind of a subjective question so take my response with a grain of salt. …”

u/iiSoleHorizons: “… I’m currently taking the only “forced” bio course for normal chem majors so to speak (Chem233 - Fundamentals of Biochemistry), and I don’t find it terrible. I don’t like the course, but it’s still manageable if you just ignore the funky bio words (it’s still just chem). …”

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Fall 2022

Spring 2021

Winter 2021

Fall 2020

Science course selection 5 points, 16 comments

u/Worldly_Ad5036: “Is: Chem 212, Chem 233, Chem 265, Chem 254 and Biol 241 doable in a term? &x200B; No lab components, just the lecture components. Haven't heard much about the difficulty of those courses besides Chem 212 being a pain in the ass.”

u/homosexual_abit: “This is not doable and I wouldn’t recommend. You should consider 212 during a spring term because it’s offered many times throughout the year”

u/DragRace2020: “lol what? unless they changed course schedules this was literally the standard term for biochem when I took it except it also had the lab components. 2B term was: CHEM 212, CHEM 224L (6 hr lab), CHEM 233, CHEM 254, CHEM 265, CHEM 265L, and 1 0.5 unit elective.”

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Spring 2019

What is the difference between CHEM 233 and 237? 3 points, 7 comments

u/pookeyslittleone: “I know they're both introductory biochem courses, but how are they different? &x200B; Thanks!”

u/sparklesmarkles: “CHEM 233 is the honors course and from general opinion is harder and more in-depth. I took CHEM 237 and enjoyed myself, but I was also only enrolled in a Chem minor.”

u/uwaloo: “If you have Dara Gilbert, she uses the same slides and podcasts as CHEM 233. She also posts the same ones on LEARN for both classes. So they're pretty much the same class with her.”

u/biochem8153326: “I’ve been told that chem 233 has more content but since I haven’t taken both (I’m in CHEM 233 rn) I don’t know. …”

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Winter 2019

Fall 2018

Spring 2018

Winter 2018

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar