Chemistry

This is an independent research course with research arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific research topics vary each term and are described on a special project form for each student. A substantial paper is required. The number of units varies with the student’s project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student’s special study project form.

Knowledge of the chemical composition and properties of food is of primary importance to ensure product quality, safety, and stability. In the lectures of this course, the effects of processing and storage conditions on the chemical composition of the major food constituents (lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins) and phenolic compounds are discussed. Examples are the modification of lipids and the importance of lipid refining, modification of polysaccharides to optimize their properties, reactivity (e.g. oxidation) of phenolic compounds, and stability & chemical reactivity of proteins. The course focuses on the occurrence and reactivity of these compounds in different food products and raw materials, the analysis of these compounds and their reaction products, and the effect of reactions during storage and processing on the chemical composition and properties of raw materials and food products. Information discussed during the lectures is applied in tutorials, digital case studies, and a practical in which students design the experiment.

This course covers the different types of membrane proteins, how they can be overexpressed and purified from a host cell, and how different methods can be used to analyze their structure and function. The course includes predictions and practical investigations of protein folding in a membrane, as well as a shorter project where you under guidance plan and carry out cloning and overexpression of a membrane protein of your choice.  Course lectures address the three different main types of membrane proteins and associated cellular processes: transport and transporters, signal transduction and receptors, bioenergetics, and photosynthetic and respiratory proteins. Lectures dealing with methods for theoretical modeling of membrane protein structure, fusion protein techniques, X-ray crystallography, heterologous expression, solubilization, and purification of membrane proteins are also included in the course. Laboratory sessions, exercises, and project work are used to determine the transmembrane topology of a protein starting with a model of the protein based on sequence information and theoretical methods. This is followed by experimental determination using genetic construction and expression of a fusion protein of the membrane protein and a marker protein in a bacterial system which is subsequently analyzed.  An individually planned and executed project on protein expression provides practice in literature searching, project planning, and documentation. The project is to be concluded with a poster presentation.

This course examines the historical, practical, and simple chemical aspects of: food, food additives; vitamins; minerals, diet and cancer; dieting; food-borne illnesses, health food and cooking.

For biomedical engineers, the basic concept of organic chemistry including bonding/isomerism, alkane/cycloalkane, and various chemical reactions will be discussed in this class 

The course covers the following topics: 

• Organic Chemistry and Cover Story 

• Bonding and Isomerism 

• Alkane and Cycloalkane 

• Alkenes and Alkynes  

• Aromatic Compounds  

• Stereoisomerism 

• Organic Halogen Compounds 

• Alcohols, Phenols, and Thiols  

• Ethers and Epoxides 

• Aldehydes and Ketones I 

• Carboxylic Acid and Their Derivatives 

Prior knowledge of chemistry, physics, or mathematics is not required to enroll in the course. This course is designed for students in the Humanities or Social Sciences with no previous education in Chemistry. It may also serve as a remedial course for students wishing to proceed to a regular level 1 Chemistry course. Chemistry involves the study of matter and the changes it undergoes. Chemistry plays an important role in everyday life, as matter is everywhere and everything around us consists of chemicals. This includes humans, fauna, flora, stars, and planets, and from a somewhat different perspective food, clothes, buildings, vehicles, computers, drugs, and art.  The course includes an overview of the composition, structure, and transformations of matter and a project in which students apply chemical knowledge in a non-science discipline.

The course consists of the following lecture courses under the theme of characterization of molecules, matter, and reactions: molecular symmetry and electronic structure; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; structure and bonding. Available to visiting students only. 

This course provides a solid foundation of organic chemistry. It focuses primarily on the basic principles to understand the structure and reactivity of organic molecules, with examples illustrating the role of organic chemistry in daily life and industry. Topics: chemistry of common organic functional groups: ketones and aldehydes; carboxylic acids and their derivatives; amines; aromatic compounds. Principles of organic synthesis. Detailed considerations of reaction mechanisms. Spectroscopic tools (UV-Vis, IR, NMR, and MS) for characterization and identification of organic compounds. 

This course provides the basic concepts of organic chemistry, the geometric structure and the methods of manufacturing chemical compounds and their reactivities. The course covers: (1) the structure and the methods of manufacturing of hydrocarbons such as alkane, alkene and alkyne; (2) the nucleophilic substitution and elimination reaction of halogen compounds; (3) stereochemistry; (4) ethers and epoxy compounds, and (5) characteristics and manufacturing methods of alcoholic compounds. 

The course includes lectures on metal complexes and organometallics, descriptive transition-metal chemistry, atmospheric chemistry, solid-state chemistry and descriptive main-group chemistry.