Teaching

030.615 Topics in Biological Inorganic Chemistry

This course gives an overview of current areas of active research that fall under the heading of bioinorganic chemistry.  These topics lie at the interface between inorganic, organic, and biological chemistry, and will involve using the tools from each. Lectures concentrate on the role that metal ions play in biology, with a specific focus on the structure and function of the metal centers in metalloproteins.
Examples of topics include - Metal Storage andTransport: metal availability; siderophores; membrane barriers; ferritin; transferrin; Fur protein; transcriptional and translational metalloregulation; Electron Transfer Proteins:iron-sulfur proteins; blue copper proteins; cytochromes; Oxygen Transport: iron, hemoglobin and myoglobin, hemerythrin; copper, hemocyanin; Oxygen Activation: iron, cytochrome P450, horseradish peroxidase, methane monooxygenase, ribonucleotide reductase; copper, cytochrome  c oxidase, superoxide dismutase, galactose oxidase; Oxygen Atom Transfer: molybdenum, DMSO reductase; tungsten, aldehyde ferredoxin oxidoreductase; Biomimetic Model Chemistry: ligand design, coordination chemistry, structural properties, physical methods, reactivity.

030.449  Chemistry of Inorganic Compounds

The physical and chemical properties of inorganic, coordination and organometallic compounds are discussed in terms of molecular orbital, ligand field, and crystal field theories. Emphasis is placed on the structure and reactivity of these inorganic compounds. Other topics to be discussed include magnetic properties, electronic spectra, magnetic resonance spectra, and reaction kinetics. Corequisites: 030.301-302.

030.356 Advanced Inorganic Lab

Laboratory designed to illustrate the principles and practice of inorganic chemistry through the synthesis and characterization of transition metal and organometallic compounds. Methods used include vacuum and inert atmosphere techniques. Instrumental approaches and modern spectroscopic techniques are applied to the characterization of compounds prepared. Students are expected to propose and carry out a challenging unique independent project.

030.683-684 Inorganic Nights

Contemporary research topics in inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry will be discussed, including modern experimental methods, data analysis, and interpretation. An emphasis is placed on current research progress in electron-transfer and biomimetic chemistry.

 

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