Graduate Course

CHEM540: Biophysical Chemistry (3 CREDITS)/ Fall 2022

This three-credit course will cover the key theories and experimental methods of contemporary biophysics and biophysical chemistry. The course discusses the structures and dynamics of biomolecules (such as proteins, DNAs, and RNAs), the statistical mechanical models to describe the behaviors of biopolymers and the biophysical methods to analyze the structures of biopolymers in solution, the biophysical theories for protein folding/unfolding and the experimental methods to measure the kinetics of protein folding/unfolding and the protein structural dynamics, the principles of biomolecule structure determination by X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopes, as well as the theories to describe ligand binding to biological macromolecules (such as receptors, protein complexes, aptamers, etc.) and the experimental methods to measure ligand binding. For all the topics covered by this course, emphasis will be laid on both theoretical models and experimental methods. Classic and modern biophysical and biochemical techniques ranging from spectroscopy and FRET to optical microscopy, including super-resolution and micromanipulation techniques, will be covered. Applications of these biophysical techniques will also be discussed.

Undergraduate Course

CHEM 112: Chemical Principles II (3 CREDITS)/ SPRING 2023

CHEM 112 is the second semester of a two-semester, comprehensive general chemistry course which introduces students to the basic principles of chemistry. The course has around 200-300 registered undergraduate students for each semester and covers the following topics: reaction rates and chemical kinetics, nuclear applications, catalysis, gas phase and aqueous equilibrium, chemical thermodynamics, entropy, free energy, acid-base equilibria, the pH scale, the common-ion effect, buffers, acid-base titrations, factors that affect aqueous solubility, electrochemistry, oxidation-reduction reactions, oxidation states, voltaic cells, batteries, corrosion, electrolysis, transition metals, crystal field theory, molecular orbital theory, bonding in solids, and properties of modern materials.