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Ph.D. Courses

Chemistry

A survey of modern inorganic chemistry including coordination compounds and the compounds of the main-group elements. Representative reactions and current theories are treated. No credit for students who have earned credit for 3010. [3]

(Also listed as CHEM 3020) Functions of inorganic elements in living cells. The manner in which coordination can modify the properties of metallic ions in living systems. No credit for students who have earned credit for 3020. [3]

Application of spectroscopic methods to inorganic chemistry. Discussion of symmetry and group theory as required for the use of spectroscopic methods is also included. [3]

Bottom-up synthetic schemes for nanoparticle construction; characterization techniques; consequences of quantum confinement, and surface area enhancement; design for specific applications. No credit for students who earned credit for 304 section 1 in fall 2011 or spring 2013. Prerequisite or corequisite: 3010. [3]

(Also listed as CHEM 4050) A general description of the preparation, reaction chemistry, molecular structure, bonding, and spectroscopic identification of organometallic compounds of the transition metals. No credit for students who have earned credit for 4050. [3]

(Also listed as CHEM 3120) Chemical and physical principles of modern analytical chemistry instrumentation. No credit for students who have earned credit for 3120. [3]

Design and analysis of experimental data, instrumental design, and analytical surface science. [1-3]

Theory, design, and interpretation of mass spectrometry instrumentation and experiments. [3]

Theory, design, and interpretation of mass spectrometry instrumentation and experiments. [3]

Theory and Analysis. [3]

Theories of separation science; distillation, capillary electrophoresis, membrane separation, and supercritical fluid extraction; emphasis on chromatography. [3]

Theory, models, and description of chemical bonding. Stereochemistry, and conformational analysis. Reaction thermodynamics, kinetics, and mechanism. Synthetic transformations employed in small molecule synthesis. Serves as repeat credit for CHEM 4210. Not open to students who have earned credit for CHEM 5209 without permission. Total credit earned for this course and CHEM 5209 will not exceed 4 hours. Credit reduced from most recent course taken (or from test or transfer credit) as appropriate. Prerequisite: One year of organic chemistry. [4]

(Also listed as CHEM 3220) Theoretical and practical aspects of spectroscopic methods, with an emphasis on NMR spectroscopy, for structural characterization of organic compounds. No credit for students who have earned credit for 3220. [3]

Also listed as CHEM 4230) Structure and bonding in organic molecules. Reactive intermediates and organic reaction mechanisms. No credit for students who have earned credit for 4230. [3]

(Also listed as CHEM 4240) A comprehensive study of organic reactions and their application to the preparation of small molecules. Three lectures per week. No credit for students who have earned credit for 4240. [3]

(Also listed as CHEM 3310) Chemical thermodynamics and equilibrium, their statistical foundation, and applications to chemical phenomena. [3]

Limits of classical mechanics at the atomic and molecular level; postulates of quantum mechanics applied to problems in one, two, and three dimensions; perturbation and other methods. Prerequisite: 3300 or equivalent. [3]

Experimental and theoretical aspects of spectroscopy. Energy levels, selection rules, and spectral transitions related to atomic and molecular structure. Design of contemporary magnetic resonance and optical spectroscopy measurements. Prerequisite: 3310. [3]

Molecular symmetry, point groups, and character tables. Application to molecular orbitals, vibrational spectra, organic and inorganic systems. [3]

Statistical mechanics and chemical equilibrium; distribution laws, partition functions, and thermodynamic properties of atoms and molecules; applications to gases, liquids, and solids. Prerequisite: 232. [3]

Advanced topics in the application of quantum mechanics to chemical bonding and spectroscopy. Prerequisite: 5320. [3]

Computer simulation studies of molecules with emphasis on applications to biological molecules and complexes. Background theory, implementation details, capabilities, and practical limitations. Prerequisites: 3300 and 3310. Includes one three-hour laboratory per week. Serves as repeat credit for students who completed 233 prior to fall 2010. [4]

Theoretical and practical aspects of protein sequence alignments, secondary structure prediction, comparative modeling, protein-protein and protein-ligand docking. Structure-based drug design, virtual screening, quantitative structure activity relations, cheminformatics, and pharmacophore mapping in therapeutic development. Prerequisite: 3310. Serves as repeat credit for students who completed 238 prior to fall 2010. [4]

(Also listed as CHEM 3600) Assigned readings and problems in the nature and use of the chemical literature. No credit for students who have earned credit for 3600. [1]

Chemical synthesis, processing, characterization, and applications of inorganic materials. Molecular precursor routes to inorganic solids. Structure and bonding properties of materials at the atomic, molecular, or extended molecular level and their relationship to desired properties. Carbon-based materials (graphene, fullerenes, diamond), ceramics and zeolites, semiconductors, electronic, magnetic, and optical materials, and nanomaterials. Prerequisite: General chemistry. Serves as repeat credit for students who completed 350 in fall 2011, fall 2009, or fall 2007. [3]

The synthesis, directed self-assembly, and hierarchical organization of naturally occurring materials. Engineering of new bioinspired artificial materials for diverse applications. Materials and devices from DNA, genetic reprogramming of the design of new materials. Peptide-, protein-, and carbohydrate-based materials. Biomineralization, biomimetic systems, and complexity in self-assembly. [3]

Polymers, Dendrimers, and Surface Modifications: (Also listed as CHEM 3630) Synthesis and characterization of macromolecular materials including linear, branched, dendrimetric, and star polymers. Mechanical and physiochemical properties of polymeric types. Kinetics of living polymerization. Applications to nanostructures, templates, and advanced devices. No credit for students who have earned credit for 3630. [3]

 (Also listed as CHEM 3710) Essential metabolites including vitamins, steroids, peptides, and nucleotides. Consideration of phosphate esters and the synthesis of oligodeoxynucleotides. Three lectures per week. No credit for students who have earned credit for 5710. [3]

(Also listed as CHEM 4720) Concepts of drug design; physical chemistry of drug interactions with receptors, enzymes, and DNA; drug absorption and distribution. Organic chemistry of drug metabolism; mechanism of action for selected therapeutic classes. No credit for students who have earned credit for 4720. [3]

Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry

Special Topics in Analytical Chemistry

Special Topics in Organic Chemistry

Special Topics in Chemical Physics

Grant writing, from specific aims and development of hypotheses to broader impact statements. The curriculum vitae, the “three-minute thesis” pitch, scientific presentations, and responsible conduct in research. Open only to chemistry graduate students. May be repeated for credit once for a total of two credit hours. [1]

Introduction to chemical research under the guidance of individual faculty members. Students participate in three rotations among faculty research groups and provide graded work. For chemistry graduate students only. [1-2]

Preparation for and the teaching of chemistry to undergraduate students. [0-1]

Chemical and Physical Biology

An introduction to living systems, with strong emphasis on the logic of component interactions, in scales ranging from molecules to organisms. Basic properties of complex biological systems are covered, including robustness, adaptability and self-organization. Cell component parts surveyed include: Nucleic Acids, Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Cytoskeleton, Secreted Factors, Transcription Factor Networks, Channels and Receptors. The Cell is presented as the principal context and actor for biology to happen, covering: Cell Identity, Epigenetics, Metabolism, Cell Growth Pathways, Stress Response Pathways, Tissue architecture, Organs, Immune System. State-of-the-art methods for computational and experimental analyses are addressed both throughout the lectures, and in specific topics including Drug Discovery, Imaging, Working with Big Data [1-5]

This course aims to introduce fundamental concepts of contemporary science at the interface of chemical biology. A series of overviews and in-depth case studies will demonstrate the breadth of chemical biology and the importance of this emerging field in advancing biological sciences. [1]

A series of overviews and in-depth case studies will demonstrate the breadth of chemical biology and the importance of this emerging field in advancing biological sciences. [3]

Biochemistry

Introduction to methods to determine the three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules and macromolecular complexes at or near atomic resolution. Techniques covered include X-ray crystallography, NMR, EPR, and fluorescence spectroscopies, cryo-electron microscopy, and computational modeling. Emphasis is placed on practical aspects of each technique and the range of applications for which each technique is applicable. The course is given during the first third of the semester, just preceding Biochemistry 8303. SPRING. [1] Chazin, Egli, Lacy, Lang, Mchaourab, Sheehan.

This course is focused on the chemical mechanisms by which enzymes catalyze reactions. Chemical principles are applied to biochemical problems. Major topics include principles of catalysis, enzyme kinetics (both steady-state and pre-equilibrium), roles of cofactors and prosthetic groups in catalysis, and interpretation of kinetic results. Prerequisites: Organic chemistry, biochemistry. SPRING [1] Guengerich

Introduction to the theory and practice of X-ray crystallography for the determination of the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules at atomic resolution. Topics to be covered include X-ray diffraction, symmetry and space groups, crystallization, data collection, phasing, model building, refinement and validation. Prerequisite: Biochemistry 8300, Introduction to Structural Biology. Prerequisite: BCHM-GS 8300, SPRING. [2] Egli, Harp.

Chemical and biological aspects of toxicology and carcinogenesis, including basic principles and mechanisms, metabolism and enzymology, cellular biology, chemistry of reactive intermediates, tissue-specific toxicity, and a survey of several classes of environmentally important compounds and drugs. Prerequisite: organic chemistry and general biochemistry. Three lectures per week. FALL. [3] Guengerich

(Also listed as Cell and Developmental Biology 8337) A focused series of seminars and discussions to explore the molecular basis of cancer. Seminars rely heavily on extramural speakers with recognized expertise in selected research areas. Discussion sections led by a faculty member following each series of three to four seminars. SPRING. [1] Hiebert and Staff.

Introduction to the theory and practice of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for the study of the structure, dynamics, and biochemistry of biological macromolecules. After introducing the basic concepts of NMR and formalisms for predicting the outcome of experiments, topics to be covered will include multidimensional NMR, scalar and dipolar couplings, chemical exchange, relaxation, resonance assignment strategies, and determination of 3D structures. Prerequisite: Biochemistry 8300. FALL. [3] Chazin, Sanders, Voehler.

Introduces analytical proteomics methods and approaches through lectures, directed readings, and group and individual data analysis exercises. Topics include (a) mass spectrometry instrumentation, (b) mass spectrometry approaches to protein and peptide analysis, (c) protein and peptide preparation and separation methods, (d) bioinformatics tools for identification of proteins from mass spectrometry data, (e) quantitative proteomics methods, (f) applications of proteomics in common experimental designs in biochemistry and cell biology, (g) applications to clinical studies. SPRING. [2]. Schey

Interdisciplinary Materials Science

A multidisciplinary study of the fundamentals uniquely pertaining to the processing, structure, and performance of materials on the dimensional scale of tens to hundreds of atoms. The science and engineering of nanomaterials. Methods for synthesis and fabrication, techniques for characterization, and the attainment of special properties at the nanoscale. An examination of applications in biotechnology, medicine, and engineering. FALL. [3]

Physics

(Also listed as Biomedical Engineering 7425) A survey of the state of the art in quantitative physical measurement techniques applied to cellular or molecular physiology. Topics include the basis for generation, measurement, and control of the transmembrane potential; electrochemical instrumentation; optical spectroscopy and imaging; X-ray diffraction for determination of macromolecular structure; magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. One lecture and one recitation. [3]

Environmental Engineering

(Also listed as ENVE 4600) Theoretical aspects of physical, organic, and inorganic chemistry applied to environmental engineering. Estimation of chemical parameters based on thermodynamic and structural activity relationships, kinetics of chemical reactions, equilibrium processes in the environment, including the carbonate system, metal complexation and precipitation. No credit for students who have earned credit for 4600. FALL. [3]

Biomedical Engineering

A survey of the state-of-the-art in quantitative physical measurement techniques applied to cellular or molecular physiology. Topics include the basis for generation, measurement, and control of the transmembrane potential; electrochemical instrumentation; optical spectroscopy and imaging; x-ray diffraction for determination of macromolecular structure; magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Prerequisite: PHYS 2250. SPRING. [3]

Special Topics – Systems Biology

Electrical Engineering

Properties of charged particles under the influence of an electric field, quantum mechanics, particle statistics, fundamental particle transport, and band theory of solids. FALL. [3]