CHEM 350 - Biophysical Chemistry

Units: 3
A presentation of the fundamental concepts of physical chemistry with emphasis on applications in biological macromolecules. Thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium, enzyme kinetics, basic quantum chemistry, and molecular spectroscopy will be covered.

Prerequisites: CHEM 112, MATH 131, and PHYS 126 or PHYS 136, all with grade C- or better.
Equivalent Quarter Course: CHEM 3501.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Explain the basic concepts of the three laws of classical thermodynamics, and articulate them both mathematically and conceptually;
Articulate the concepts and meanings of thermodynamic functions such as energy, enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs/Helmholtz free energy and use them for calculating thermodynamic changes in chemical/biochemical reactions and for predicting the directions of spontaneity;
Establish rate laws for chemical/biochemical reactions based on experimental measurements of the amount of products and reactants during the reaction over time;
Draw information about the structure and dynamics of molecules based on their molecular spectroscopic data;
Explain basic principles of molecular spectroscopic techniques used for biomolecular research, including NMR, CD, Fluorescence, and X-ray Crystallography.