Download CHEM 211: Physical Chemistry

CHEM 211: Physical Chemistry
Instructor:
Dr Falak Sher
Year: 2009-10
Office No. & E-mail: 311 PDC, [email protected]
Office Hours: TBA
Course Code: CHEM 211
Semester: Spring
Category: Sophomore
Course Title: Physical Chemistry
Credits: 3
Objectives: After taking this course students are expected to understand
- how energy is exchanged between the system and surroundings under different
conditions.
- how entropy and Gibbs free energy can be used to predict the direction of
the spontaneous change and estimate the position of equilibrium.
- how thermodynamics concepts can be used to explain various physical and
chemical changes.
- how the rate of different physical and chemical changes can be predicted using
the chemical kinetics concepts.
- how these kinetic concepts can be applied to enzymes catalyzed processes in the
biological systems.
Course Outline:
The First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy conversion and conservation, state of a
system, internal energy and enthalpy, physical changes, chemical changes.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics: The direction of spontaneous changes, entropy
and the Second Law, measurement of entropy change accompanying various physical and
chemical changes, the Third Law of Thermodynamics, Gibbs free energy, calculation of
Gibbs free energy, case studies: life and the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the
action of adenosine triphosphate.
Free energy and phase equilibria: The thermodynamics of transition, phase transitions
in biopolymers and aggregates, colligative properties, osmosis and the osmotic pressure
of solutions of biopolymers.
Free energy and chemical equilibria: Thermodynamics background, binding oxygen to
myoglobin and hemoglobin, the response of equilibria to conditions, coupled reactions in
bioenergetics, proton transfer equilibria and buffer action in blood.
Thermodynamics of Ion and Electron Transport: Transport of ions across biological
membranes, redox reactions, applications of standard potentials, electron transfer in
bioenergetics.
The kinetics of life processes: Rate of reactions, rate laws and rate constants, the
temperature dependence of reaction rates, reaction mechanisms, reaction dynamics.
Enzyme Kinetics: Michaelis-Menten kinetics, competition and inhibition, electron
transfer in biological systems.
Course Status:
Required course for all Biology and Chemistry Majors
Pre-requisites:
CHEM 101 or CH 101 and CH 102
Text books:
(i)
(ii)
Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences by P. W. Atkins (2006)
Physical Chemistry: Principles and Applications in Biological Systems, 4th
edition, by Tinoco, Sauer, Wang and Puglisi
Lectures:
Three weekly lectures of 60 minutes duration each.
Grading Scheme:
Quizzes**:
Assignments:
Midterm:
Final:
20%
10%
30%
40%
**:
Both announced and surprise quizzes. Best 80% quizzes of the total will count
towards the final score.
Attendance:
Attendance is required in all lectures. Surprise quizzes will be taken as and when the
instructor wishes to do so.
Homework:
You will be assigned homework problems each week. All homework assignments must
be worked out and submitted according to the specific directions and requirements of
your instructor. Late homeworks will receive a grade of zero unless permission is granted
by the instructor for genuine reasons. Solutions to the homework problems will be posted
on the LMS after expiry of due date.
General Policies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Students are expected to read the specified textbook material before coming to
class.
Instructor may spend more or less time on topics listed; he may be one or two
topics ahead or behind.
Late arrival in the class is discouraged.
Mobile phones should be switched off.
Module Titles:
1.
2.
3.
The First Law of Thermodynamics
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
Free energy and phase equilibria
1.5 week.
2.0 weeks.
2.0 weeks
4.
5.
6.
7.
Free energy and chemical equilibria
Thermodynamics of Ion and Electron Transport
The kinetics of life processes
Enzyme Kinetics
2.0 weeks
1.5 week
2.0 week
2.0 week