Biological Molecules provides an introduction to the structures and properties of molecules which are common to all biological systems. The package is intended for use on foundation courses in Life Science degree schemes and is aimed particularly at students entering such courses without advanced-level Biology or equivalent qualifications. The package is suitable for students studying advanced-level Biology or equivalent who would like to extend their knowledge beyond the existing syllabus.

The tutorial material is interspersed at key points with optional self-assessment questions that enable students to monitor their own progress.

A screen from one of the activity modules

The package consists of a suite of 6 multimedia programs covering the following topics.
1. Bonding
2. Isomerism and Chirality
3. Nucleic acids
4. Proteins
5. Carbohydrates

Bonding
Bonding outlines atomic structure and provides an introduction to the forces governing intramolecular and intermolecular bonding . The program is intended to remind students of the relevance to biological systems of material studied in GCSE and A-level chemistry courses. Ionic, covalent and hydrogen bonding, and van de Waals forces are discussed and illustrated with the aid of both 2D and 3D pictures and animations.

Isomerism
The program discusses structural and optical isomerism in the context of biological systems. The importance of molecular specificity in biology is considered. Structurally specific drug molecules are used as examples.

Nucleic Acids
The program describes the structure and composition of nucleic acids and their function as information macromolecules in cells. The structures and functions of DNA and RNA, the transcription of DNA into RNA, and the role of RNA in translation of mRNA to produce polypeptides are described and illustrated with 2D and 3D stills and animations.

Proteins
The structures and functions of amino acids, peptides and proteins are described. Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary protein structure is discussed and illustrated with 2D and 3D stills and animations. The nature and function of glycoproteins and lipoproteins are included, but the role of proteins as enzymes is not covered in this introductory program.

Carbohydrates
The program discusses carbohydrate nomenclature and their biological roles and provides a structural classification. Monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides are described and illustrated with 2D and 3D stills and animations of common examples from both plants and animals.

Lipids
Lipids are considered under the headings: simple lipids, phospholipids, glycolipids and sterols. The structural features and functions of each group are considered, and illustrated by biologically important examples, with particular reference to membranes.

Hardware and Software Requirements Windows Version The package is supplied on a CD-ROM Installation Disc and can be installed to a local hard disc or network drive. The minimum requirement is a PC with 100MHz Pentium processor , 8Mb of RAM and a VGA monitor capable of displaying 16-bit color (65, 536 colors) at 640 x 480 resolution. The program is 32-bit and is compatible with Windows 95, 98 and NT. Web Version The package is supplied on a CD-ROM Installation Disc for installation to a web server. The software runs on PC clients only. The minimum requirement is a 200MHz Pentium processor with 32Mb of RAM and a Super VGA monitor capable of displaying 16-bit color (65,536 colors) at 800 x 600 resolution. The program is compatible with both Netscape Navigator 4.x and Internet Explorer 4 or better and requires Java and Javascript to be enabled on browsers.