This course provides an overview of the fundamental principles of physical chemistry with an emphasis on their application to the study of biological molecules and processes. Topics will include statistical mechanics, thermodynamics and enzyme kinetics. Discussion of applications will relate commonly used experimental techniques -- such as spectroscopy and calorimetry -- to the fundamental principles on which they are based. In addition, students will gain experience and confidence in the use of mathematical models to describe biochemical systems.

This course emphasizes recent developments in synthetic organic chemistry and deals with general synthetic methods and specific examples of natural product synthesis. It covers such topics as new methods of oxidation and reduction, stereospecific olefin formation, ring-forming reactions, and methods of carbon-carbon bond formation. The application of these reactions to the synthesis of naturally occurring compounds is examined. A general strategy for the synthesis of complex molecules is also presented.

The performance of many engineered devices is dependent on macroscopic factors (pressure, temperature, flow, conductivity). As a result, engineers often model devices macroscopically considering atomistic level details only through fixed parameters. These parameters do not always capture the full atomistic level picture. More accurate multi-scale approaches for modeling macroscopic properties use basic atomistic level chemistry at key points in larger scale simulations. This course is an introduction to such approaches focusing on fuel cells as a concrete example.

An examination of the major ideas of biochemistry from the point of view of the chemical sciences rather than the life sciences. The focus will be on structure and reactivity of important biomolecules and the role of energetics and reaction dynamics in biochemical processes. Major metabolic pathways are covered, including those of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.

This course is a rigorous introduction to the study of protein molecules and their role as catalysts of the cell. Topics include general principles of protein folding, protein structure-function correlation, enzyme kinetics and mechanism, carbohydrate and lipid biochemistry, and metabolic pathways (catabolic and anabolic) and their interaction and cross-regulation. Biological transformation of energy is considered in light of the principle of thermodynamics.