This course approaches organic chemistry from the point of view that (i) a material (whether chemical or biological) is something whose properties make it useful for an application, whether structural or functional; and (ii) a material is a composite of elements or units that combine to give a unique set of properties. The relationship between structure and function, and ‘emergent properties’ therefore becomes critical to the optimization of desired materials. The theory involved in critical structural components to biology and materials chemistry will be discussed, followed by integration of these concepts into current challenges in selected fields.