Spectroscopic, Structural and Hydrodynamics Techniques

The course is designed to follow Chem 440b, but can be taken on its own. Students will be expected to have had a course in introductory physical chemistry. A course in biochemistry is also strongly recommended.

Lectures:

11:00 AM – 12:20 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 161 Noyes Lab

Content:

This is the second semester of a survey of problems and techniques in physical biochemistry. The emphasis is on spectroscopic, structural and hydrodynamic techniques used to obtain information about the structure, size, shape and dynamics of biological macromolecules.

Lecture Slides:

The lectures will be delivered using PowerPoint slides. These will be available on this website using the Lecture Slides link to the left. When possible, these will be posted prior to the lecture. You should check the morning prior to each lecture and print out the lecture slides to bring to class.

Texts:

There are two required texts. These are the same as used in Chem 440b/Fall 2007.

1. MCB 446 Notes by Robert Gennis. Printed Notes will be available in the bookstore and they will also be available online at this website in HTML or PDF format by following the appropriate link to the left. About half of the course material is covered in these Notes.

2. Physical Chemistry for the Chemical and Biological Sciences by Raymond Chang, University Science Books (2000).

Grading Policy:

3 exams worth 25% each = 75%

The remaining 25% will come from homeworks and attendance points. There will be a homework assigned every week there is no exam, and each homework is worth 2 points. Attendance will be taken periodically throughout the semester, either by collecting the homework in class or taking attendance in class (1 point scored if present). Attendance will be used as one measure of "effort" and will be taken into account at the end of the semester using a normalization procedure in deciding the final grade, especially for those close to a grade cut-off.

Note: All grades will be posted using the University of Illinois Compass and will be available on the web. You should use this to be sure your grades for each problem set and examination are properly recorded.

The examinations are tentatively scheduled as follows:

1. Tuesday, February 19, First Exam
2. Thursday, April 3, Second Exam
3. Saturday, May 9, Final Examination 1:30-4:30 PM

Problem Sets:

Problem sets will be assigned and grades will be recorded. The problem sets are meant to assist you to learn the material and give you an idea of what the examination questions will be like. Grading will be based essentially on effort to solve the problem, with up to 2 points (max) per problem set for those turned in on time and zero points for those not turned in. The Problem Set and Attendance cumulative grade (as described above in the Grading Policy section) will be worth 25% of the final grade in the course.