Chemistry

This course presents the fundamentals of chemistry including the following topics: atomic structure based on quantum mechanics; atomic properties; trends in periodic table; chemical bonding (Lewis structures, VSEPR theory, hybridization, and molecular orbital theory); gaseous and aqueous equilibria; properties of inorganic and organic acids, bases, buffers; titrations; phase changes; molecular orbital theory; thermochemistry; thermodynamics; free energy changes; electrochemistry; chemical kinetics; coordination compounds; organic chemistry; structure, conformations, and relative energies of organic molecules; application of thermodynamics and kinetics to organic and biochemical reactions; use of molecular modeling software to illustrate molecular structures and their relative energies. This class has a separate general chemistry lab. There are five recitations that go along with the lectures. Text: Theodore L. Brown, et al., CHEMISTRY: THE CENTRAL SCIENCE. This course is taught in Chinese, but the text is in English.

This course provides a rigorous presentation of thermodynamics principles, with emphases on the application of mathematical methods to the study of the spontaneity of processes, chemical reactions, and chemical energy. In addition to thermodynamics description of chemical equilibrium phenomena that form the basis of macroscopic chemical principles, connections between microscopic pictures (quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics) and bulk properties are highlighted.

This course provides an introduction to the concepts, formalism, and applications of quantum mechanics in different disciplinary fields of science and technology: mathematics, computer science and information technology, basic physics, and physico-chemistry. It includes instruction from specialists within these disciplines in connection with current research issues. 

This course consolidates year 1 organic and physical chemistry by reference to biological examples and shows students its relevance to cellular biochemical processes. It introduces mechanisms and thermodynamics of chemical processes in the cell, including central metabolic pathways, principles of enzyme and metalloenzyme active site catalysis, coenzyme chemistry, and thermodynamics of biochemical processes. It conveys the multidisciplinarity and role of chemical ideas in understanding biochemistry, and enable students to apply basic chemical principles in unfamiliar biochemical contexts to generate hypotheses. It also introduces key concepts of cell biology and protein structure.

This course connects the microscopic description of chemical reactions with macroscopic measurable quantities and explores the processes responsible for chemical changes: molecular collisions, elementary reactions, surface phenomena, catalysis, absorption isotherms, theory of the activated complex, and diffusion controlled reactions.

This course enables students to understand the chemical behavior of organic molecules and the mechanisms of reactions.

Prerequisites: General Chemistry I, II.