Analytical
Principles of electrochemical methods, ionic solutions, and electrochemical kinetics.
Theory and practice of modern separation methods with emphasis on gas and liquid chromatographic techniques.
Principles of atomic and molecular spectrometric methods; discussion of instrumentation, methodology, applications.
Principles of operation of instruments, optimization of instrumental conditions, and interpretation of instrumental data for qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Modern spectrometry including fundamentals, instrumentation, and analytical applications.
Analytical method, information theory, and chemometrics, including statistical data analysis, heuristic and non-heuristic data analysis (pattern recognition and artificial intelligence), and experimental design and optimization.
Lectures or conferences covering selected topics of current interest in analytical chemistry.
Attendance required of graduate majors in the analytical area. graduate course in analytical chemistry. Presentation of one seminar.
Chemical Biology
Mechanistic organic biochemistry. Emphasis on model systems, enzyme active sites, and physical and organic chemistry of biomacromolecules.
In depth examination of current research directions in the field of chemical biology. Topics covered include aptamers, chemical synthesis of proteins, in vitro incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins, directed evolution of enzymes, natural product discovery and their biosynthesis mechanisms, chemically synthesized small-molecule libraries, chemical genetics, chemical screening, and target identification.
Weekly seminar series from graduate students and outside speakers in chemical biology/biochemistry areas. Attendance and participation of graduate students required.arch directions in the field of chemical biology. Topics covered include aptamers, chemical synthesis of proteins, in vitro incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins, directed evolution of enzymes, natural product discovery and their biosynthesis mechanisms, chemically synthesized small-molecule libraries, chemical genetics, chemical screening, and target identification.
Principles of enzyme structure; isolation and purification; physical chemistry of enzyme/substrate interactions; general overview of classes; transition state theory and catalysis; types of chemical catalysis; survey of cofactors; example mechanisms; catalytic antibodies; ribozyme structure and catalysis.
Principles of nucleic acid structure and function; protein/nucleic acid interactions with particular emphasis on transcriptional regulators and DNA and RNA polymerases; chemistry of phosphate hydrolysis and its application to enzyme mechanisms; evolution of novel RNA molecules capable of specific binding and catalysis.
Modeling and protein structures enzyme reaction mechanisms using empirical as well as quantum-mechanical methods.
Molecular evolution, bioinformatics and protein structure prediction, principles of molecular recognition, rational protein design, biotechnology, reengineered organisms, advanced biophysical techniques, and computational biology.
Covers topics of biosynthesis of the major families of medical natural products, structural and biochemical understanding of their biosynthetic logic, gene cluster identification, genome mining, and production of bioactive “unnatural products” for drug discovery and development.
Inorganic
Crystalline state; covalent bonding; acids, bases, and solvents, nonmetallic compounds of Groups II through VII with emphasis on structure and reactivity.
Electronic structure of metals and transition metal complexes; solution chemistry and reaction mechanisms at metal centers; redox reactions; introduction to organometallic and bioinorganic chemistry.
Principles and applications of spectroscopic methods to the solution of inorganic problems. Those techniques used most extensively in current inorganic research are treated.
Structure and properties of solids; semiconductors and superconductors.
Role of elements in biology. Modern spectroscopic and physical methods for study of Group I and II metals, metalloenzymes, metal ion transport and storage, functions of nonmetals in biochemical systems, and biomedical/biotechnical applications of metals.
Lectures or conferences on selected topics of current research interest in inorganic chemistry.
Attendance required of graduate majors in inorganic chemistry. graduate course in inorganic chemistry. Presentation of one seminar.
Organic
A review for those students intending to enroll in the Advanced Organic Sequence CHM 6225, CHM 6226.
Advanced study of characterization and structure proof of organic compounds by special methods, including IR, UV, NMR, and mass spectrometry.
Classification of polymerization types and mechanisms from a mechanistic organic point of view. The structure of synthetic and natural polymers and polyelectrolytes. Reaction of polymers. Practical synthetic methods of polymer preparation.
Principles of organic chemistry and their application to reaction mechanisms.
Discussion and application of synthetic methodology.
Properties of organometallic compounds, the nature of the carbon-metal bond, compounds of metals in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, and transition metals.
Properties of organometallic compounds, the nature of the carbon-metal bond, compounds of metals in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, and transition metals.
Fundamental polymer chemistry, with emphasis on the mechanisms of polymerization reactions and the relationship of physical properties to chemical constitution.
Chemistry of selected types of organic compounds, such as alkaloids, carbohydrates, natural products, steroids.
Attendance required of graduate majors in the organic area. Presentation of one seminar.
Attendance at weekly seminars reporting current advances in organic chemistry.
Physical
Techniques used in experimental research; techniques of design and fabrication of scientific apparatus. Advanced experiments involving optical, electronic, and high vacuum equipment.
Structure, configuration, conformation, and thermodynamics of polymer solutions, gels, and solids. Thermal, mechanical, optical, and rheological properties of plastics and rubbers.
Energetics, properties of ideal and nonideal systems primarily from the standpoint of classical thermodynamics.
Fundamental principles with applications to systems of chemical interest.
Basic methods and applications of quantum chemistry; atomic structure; chemical bonding in diatomic and polyatomic molecules. Brief introduction to molecular spectroscopy.
Theory of symmetry and its chemical applications; semi-empirical molecular orbital treatment of simple inorganic and organic molecules; further applications to inorganic and organic chemistry.
Brief treatment of the Schrodinger equation, followed by a survey of applications to chemical problems.
Molecular energy levels, spectroscopic selection rules; rotational, vibrational, electronic, and magnetic resonance spectra of diatomic and polyatomic molecules.
Lecture or conferences covering selected topics of current interest in physical chemistry.
Software for computational chemistry; model building and molecular mechanics; molecular orbitals and electronic structure; optical, infrared, and magnetic resonance spectra; solvation effects and molecular dynamics; building large systems.
Attendance required of graduate majors in physical chemistry. graduate course in physical chemistry. Presentation of one seminar.
Basic concepts of rate laws, collision theory, and transition state theory; an introduction to reaction dynamics, structural dynamics, and quantitative structure-reactivity correlations.
Mathematical techniques used in atomic, molecular, and solid-state theory. The one-electron approximation and the general quantum-mechanical manybody problems. Selected advanced topics.
Non-Divisional
Double registration permitted. Assigned reading program or development of assigned experimental problem.
Supervised Research
Discussion and evaluation of chemical research advances reported in current chemical literature.
Topics presented by visiting scientists and local staff members.
Required for Master of Science in Teaching students but available for students needing additional practice and direction in college-level teaching.
Research for Master’s Thesis
Research for doctoral students before admission to candidacy. Designed for students with a master’s degree in the field of study or for students who have been accepted for a doctoral program. Not appropriate for students who have been admitted to candidacy.
Research for Doctoral Dissertation