CHEM 381Bioorganic Chemistry
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Chemistry
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Review of stereochemistry, racemic and enantioselective syntheses of amino acids, peptide synthesis, development of peptides into drugs, physical properties and structures of monosaccharides, reactions of monosaccharides, glycoside synthesis, structures of disaccharides and polysaccharides, synthesis of oligosaccharides, physical properties and synthesis of nucleosides, nucleotides, and nucleic acids, nucleotides and nucleic acids as drugs, general drug development.
Prerequisites
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 7471 | 36 / 48 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
86% liked it45% easy95% useful
From 7 ratings and 5 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Loved this class and loved the prof. I took this as a program elective and really enjoyed learning about the applications of orgo beyond chem 264/265. I recommend this course to anyone in science who liked organic chem and biochem. Scotty T is top tier.
Apr 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Very cool course! You learn how to make proteins, DNA/RNA and carbohydrates from chemical methods. You definitely need to go to class though and make sure you can copy notes down quickly as the pace is a bit quick.
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Really enjoyable course. Took it with Scott and it was a blast, got to hear lots of interesting information about current and past research. Good organic course but quite difficult I would say - some memorisation required for sure.
Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Overall I think this is a lovely course run by a lovely prof.
Definitely not easy and you have to put in a good amount of effort (like any other 3rd year chemistry course).
Learn fundamental chemistry on amino acids, peptides, monosaccharides and polysaccharides, nucleoside and nucleotides, and DNA/RNA. Honestly, really fun and enjoyable.
Assignments and tests are fair.
If you like organic chemistry would definitely recommend.Apr 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Easy if you have a decent understanding of organic chemistry. It says you do not need Chem 360 for a prerequisite but I found it related more to Chem 360 than Chem 265
Jun 2017 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
7 posts and comments in 5 threads mention CHEM 381, December 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.
Fall 2021
Advice choosing an upper-year CHEM course 1 point, 1 comment
u/misterstapes: “I'm looking to fill out some course requirements in chemistry this Winter, and have narrowed my choices down between CHEM 340 (Intro Comp Chem) and CHEM 381 (Bioorganic Chem). If you've taken one or both of these courses, I'd love to hear the pros and cons of them. Thanks!”
u/3point14luong: “If you're looking for a bird course, CHEM 340 is a much easier course than CHEM 381. CHEM 340 runs very similarly to CHEM 140 in a pseudo lab style. You are introduced to the Gaussian and GaussView software programs for running calculations, simulations, and molecular modelling. …”
Fall 2018
Chem 381 2 points, 3 comments
u/Giusel: “I’m going to be taking Chem 381 next semester and I was wondering what textbook was used for the course.”
u/3point14luong: “There was no textbook, at least when I took the course. The professor felt he couldn't find any textbook that was able to sufficiently cover the course material. …”
u/PharmD_Is_OP: “how would you rate chem 381, when you took it? was it fairly time consuming? Also considering taking this.”
Fall 2015
Thoughts on taking Chem 360 and Chem 381 during the same term? 2 points, 2 comments
u/Tizzleddd: “Does it help to take them together?”
Fall 2014
CHEM 381 Winter 2015?? 0 points, 1 comment
u/Masseymustangs5: “… I was wondering about CHEM 381 being offered next term? It doesn't seem to show up on the schedule of classes website nor on Quest but it says its offered in the 2014-2015 undergraduate calender and is supposed to be taken by 3A med chem students... …”
Fall 2012
What courses are you taking next semester? 10 points, 107 comments
“Now that exams are finally over, we can starting thinking about the Winter 2013 semester. What courses will you be taking? Any that you're anticipating and/or dreading?”
u/FourtyTwoo: “BIOL 331/L: Advanced Cell Biology CHEM 357 - Physical Biochemistry CHEM 360/L - Organic Chemistry 3 and Senior Organic Chem Lab CHEM 381 - Medicinal and Bioorganic Chem STAT 202 - Intro Stats for Scientists 381: Apparently really hard. Worried about this one.”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them