Chemistry

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.

This course is an introduction to the chemistry of foods, more specifically the chemistry of groups of compounds present in food: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, phenolic compounds, and enzymes. Chemical changes that take place during the storage and processing of crops and food are learned. In addition, during the laboratory classes, students design experiments, analyze the composition of food products, and write a scientific lab report. Food technologists should be able to estimate the relevance of various chemical and enzymatic processes by making calculations. To practice this part of food chemistry, the quantification of specific reactions is practiced in calculation cases.

This course provides a firm and rigorous foundation in current concepts of the structure and functions of biomolecules in molecular cellular biology. These fundamental concepts form the basis of almost all recent advances in biological and biomedical sciences. The course introduces and discusses biomolecular structures and functions (including protein, carbohydrates, lipid, and nucleotides) and how these biomolecules play roles in biological processes including cellular biocatalyst and metabolism. Practical sessions provide experience in data interpretation and learning of basic laboratory techniques.