Chemistry
- CEE 311/CHM 311/GEO 311/ENE 311: Global Air PollutionStudents will study the chemical and physical processes involved in the sources, transformation, transport, and sinks of air pollutants on local to global scales. Societal problems such as photochemical smog, particulate matter, greenhouse gases, and stratospheric ozone depletion will be investigated using fundamental concepts in chemistry, physics, and engineering. For the class project, students will select a trace gas species or family of gases and analyze recent field and remote sensing data based upon material covered in the course. Environments to be studied include very clean, remote portions of the globe to urban air quality.
- CHM 202: General Chemistry IIContinuation of 201. Principles of chemistry; introduction to chemical bonding and solid state structure; chemical kinetics, descriptive inorganic chemistry; laboratory manipulations, preparations, and analysis. Fulfills medical school entrance requirements in general chemistry and qualitative analysis.
- CHM 215: Advanced General Chemistry: Honors CourseSelected topics from general chemistry are presented from an advanced point of view. Emphasis is on the conceptual development of electronic structure and bonding, on applications of thermodynamics to chemical equilibrium, and on kinetics. A unified approach to molecular science is developed. The course is intended for serious students of science or engineering.
- CHM 251: Chemistry Research Experience IIThe Chemistry Research Experience sequence provide sophomore students with an in lab research experience. The sequence comprises two semesters with CHM 250 as a prerequisite for CHM 251, a credit bearing P/D/F course. Students will gain an introduction to chemical research within the laboratory of a Chemistry faculty mentor. Students are expected to spend 6 hours per week engaged in research and attend weekly meetings as outlined by the mentoring faculty. At the end of the semester, students will present an oral presentation summarizing their results.
- CHM 304: Organic Chemistry II: Foundations of Chemical Reactivity and SynthesisThis course begins by discussing the chemical consequences of conjugation and the Diels-Alder reaction. After a coverage of aromaticity and the chemistry of benzene, we then move into the heart of the course: the nature and reactivity of the carbonyl group, a subject that is central to both mainstream organic chemistry and biochemistry. Throughout this course, an effort will be made to demystify the art of chemical synthesis. This course is appropriate for chemistry majors, premedical students, and other students with an interest in organic chemistry and its central position in the life sciences.
- CHM 306: Physical Chemistry: Chemical Thermodynamics and KineticsAt the center of this course is the recognition of Gibbs Free Energy as a fundamental quantity describing physical processes. From this, we will develop concepts of thermodynamics and kinetics, and illustrate them with examples from chemistry.
- CHM 373: Analytical Methods and Experimental DesignThe overarching goal of this course is to learn the art of designing experiments for independent inquiry. We introduce fundamental principles of modern analytical methods such as spectroscopy and chromatography. Students learn about instrumental methods that employ these concepts and how to interpret data collected using these techniques. Discussion includes statistical treatment of data using standard methods for proper reporting of information with precision, accuracy, and uncertainty.
- CHM 406: Advanced Physical Chemistry: Chemical Dynamics and ThermodynamicsThis course is an introduction to statistical thermodynamics, kinetics, and molecular reaction dynamics. Following a review of classical thermodynamics, the statistical mechanics of molecular systems is developed. Discussions of transport properties, chemical kinetics, and reaction dynamics form the rest of the course.
- CHM 412: Inorganic Chemistry: Structure and MaterialsStructural principles and bonding theories are discussed for various classes of main group inorganic and transition metal coordination compounds. The topics include an introduction to group theory, vibrational spectroscopy, molecular orbital theory, electronic structure of d-orbitals, and ligand field theory. Additional topics will include topics in the areas of solid-state chemistry, inorganic materials chemistry, and nanoscience.
- CHM 500A: Responsible Conduct of Research in Chemistry (Half-Term)Discussion and evaluation of the role professional researchers play in dealing with the reporting of research, responsible authorship, human and animal studies, misconduct and fraud in science, intellectual property, and professional conduct in scientific relationships. Participants are expected to read the materials and cases prior to each meeting. Successful completion is based on regular attendance and active participation in discussion. This half-term course is designed to satisfy federal funding agencies' requirements for training in the ethical practice of scientists. Required for graduate students and post-docs.
- CHM 500B: Responsible Conduct of Research in Chemistry (Half-Term)Discussion and evaluation of the role professional researchers play in dealing with the reporting of research, responsible authorship, human and animal studies, misconduct and fraud in science, intellectual property, and professional conduct in scientific relationships. Participants are expected to read the materials and cases prior to each meeting. Successful completion is based on regular attendance and active participation in discussion. This half-term course is designed to satisfy federal funding agencies' requirements for training in the ethical practice of scientists. Required for chemistry graduate students & post-docs.
- CHM 500C: Responsible Conduct of Research in Chemistry (Half-Term)Discussion and evaluation of the role professional researchers play in dealing wtih the reporting of research, responsible authorship, human and animal studies, misconduct and fraud in science, intellectual property, and professional conduct in scientific relationships. Participants are expected to read the materials and cases prior to each meeting. Successful completion is based on regular attendance and active participation in discussion. This half-term course is designed to satisfy federal funding agencies' requirements for training in the ethical practice of scientists. Required for chemistry graduate students/post-docs.
- CHM 502: Advanced Quantum ChemistrySelected advanced topics in quantum mechanics including: time-dependent quantum mechanics, angular momentum theory, scattering theory, and radiation-matter interactions.
- CHM 504: Molecular SpectroscopyBasic principles and modern aspects of spectroscopy are discussed. Topics include light-matter interactions (quantum mechanics & statistical mechanics), linear and non-linear spectroscopy, time-resolved spectroscopy, single-molecule spectroscopy, and nano-optics. Application examples include problems in gas-phase chemical physics, solid-state and condensed-matter physics, organic and organo-metallic chemistry, biology and spectroscopy in complex environments.
- CHM 536: Topics in Organic Chemistry: Methods for Complex Organic SynthesisThis course discusses topics in synthetic organic chemistry for first year graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. Special emphasis is placed on understanding mechanisms, scope, limitations, and selectivities of some of the most important synthetic methodologies developed in the 21st century. Selected topics include cross-coupling, olefin metathesis, organocatalysis, phototcatalysis, biocatalysis, electrochemistry, and modern methods of polymerization.
- CHM 539: Introduction to Chemical InstrumentationThis course covers the application of selected analytical instrumentation to modern chemical/biochemical research, including materials science and environmental and medicinal chemistry. Primary emphasis: NMR methods; advantages and applications of cryoprobe-assisted high sensitivity 13C-NMR spectroscopy; data processing and spectrum analysis; integration with mass spectrometry; X-ray diffraction; IR, UV, and EPR spectroscopy; chiroptical techniques. Practical problem solving exercises for identification and characterization of molecular structure and dynamics using in-house examples are a significant part of the curriculum.
- CHM 541/QCB 541: Chemical Biology IIThe course provides an in-depth treatment of nucleic acid and peptide/protein chemical biology. Topics include: nucleic acid and protein synthesis; biopolymer engineering using modern chemical biology approaches; biopolymer function and regulation in biological systems.
- CHM 542/MOL 542: Principles of Macromolecular Structure: Protein Folding, Structure and DesignThis course is taught from the scientific literature. We begin the semester with several classic papers on protein folding. As the semester progresses, we read about protein structure, stability, and folding pathways. The latter part of the semester focuses on recent papers describing new research aimed toward the construction of novel proteins from "scratch." These papers cover topics ranging from evolution in vitro to computational and rational design. The course ends by discussing the possibility of creating artificial proteomes in the laboratory, and further steps toward synthetic biology.
- CHM 544/ENV 544: Metals in Biology: From Stardust to DNALife processes depend on over 25 elements whose bioinorganic chemistry is relevant to the environment (biogeochemical cycles), agriculture, and health. CHM 544 surveys the bioinorganic chemistry of the elements. In-depth coverage of key transition metal ions including manganese, iron, copper, and molybdenum focuses on redox roles in anaerobic and aerobic systems and metalloenzymes that activate small molecules and ions, including hydrogen, nitrogen, nitrate, nitric oxide, oxygen, superoxide, and hydrogen peroxide. Appreciation of the structure and reactivity of metalloenzyme systems is critical to understanding life at the molecular level.
- GEO 418/CHM 418: Environmental Aqueous GeochemistryApplication of quantitative chemical principles to the study of natural waters. Includes equilibrium computations, carbonate system, gas exchange, precipitation/dissolution of minerals, coordination of trace metals, redox reactions in water and sediments.
- MOL 345/CHM 345: BiochemistryThis course focuses on the fundamental biochemical principles that underlie cellular function. An emphasis will be placed on protein structure, function, and regulation. Additional topics covered will include metabolism and catalysis, and cutting-edge methodologies for studying macromolecules in health and disease systems.
- MSE 504/CHM 560/PHY 512/CBE 520: Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics Simulation in Statistical Physics & Materials ScienceThis course examines methods for simulating matter at the atomistic scale with emphasis on the concepts that underline modern computational methodologies for classical many-body systems at or near statistical equilibrium. The course covers Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics (from basics to advanced techniques), and includes an introduction to molecular coarse graining and the use of Machine Learning techniques in molecular simulations.
- MSE 515/APC 515/CHM 559: Random Heterogeneous MaterialsComposites, porous media, foams, colloids, geological media, and biological media are all examples of heterogeneous materials. The relationship between the macroscopic (transport, mechanical, electromagnetic, and chemical) properties and material microstructure is formulated. Topics include statistical characterization of the microstructure; percolation theory; fractals; sphere packings; Monte Carlo techniques; image analysis; homogenization theory; cluster and perturbation expansions; variational bounding techniques; topology optimization methods; and cross-property relations. Biological and cosmological applications are discussed.