Classes Taught
General Chemistry I: Chemistry of the elements and their compounds with emphasis on basic principles. Atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding, stoichiometry, properties of solutions, and nature of matter.
General Chemistry II: Continuation and extension of General Chemistry I, including chemical kinetics, electrochemistry, chemical equilibrium, chemistry of metals and nonmetals, and radioactivity.
Physical Chemistry (Thermodynamics): This course is designed to present the principles of physical chemistry that govern equilibria in chemical systems. Topics include first, second, and third law of thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium, phase equilibrium and kinetic theory of gases. Laboratory experiments illustrate main concepts of thermodynamics and kinetics, provide experience with various experimental techniques and data treatment.
Physical Chemistry (Quantum Mechanics and Kinetics): This course is designed to present the principles of physical chemistry that govern molecular and atomic structures and spectroscopy as well as reaction kinetics and mechanisms.
Advanced Physical Chemistry: Survey of physical chemical principles for graduate students with emphasis on computational chemistry and its practical applications. Topics include quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and quantum-mechanical computations of electronic and molecular structures, spectra, equilibria and rates.
Organic Chemistry I: First part of two-semester course of Organic Chemistry. It covers basic concepts of organic chemistry, including nomenclature and structure of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, mechanisms of electrophilic addition, nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions. Laboratory experiments represent an integral part of this course and help students to learn primary experimental techniques involved in the synthesis and identification of organic compounds.
Organic Chemistry II: The second part of two-semester course of Organic Chemistry which focuses on the methods of instrumental analysis of organic compounds (e.g. NMR and FT-IR), reactions of aromatic and carbonyl compounds. In the laboratory section, students will get experience in synthesis and characterization of organic compounds.
Physical Chemistry for Biosciences: This course is designed to present the principles of physical chemistry that govern molecular structure and chemical reactivity in biochemical systems and the methods used for their investigation. Topics include solution thermodynamics, kinetics and equilibria, quantum mechanics and modern spectroscopic techniques, and their application for the study of structure and functioning of biomolecules. The course will focus on the answering questions such as, “How do we know whether a (bio-) chemical reaction will occur?”, “How fast will it go?”, “Will it consume or produce energy?”, “Why do atoms stick together to form molecules?”, “How do we determine and understand structures of biomolecules?”
Chemistry Seminar. The main purpose of this course is to learn how to search and analyze the primary chemical literature and how to give a technical presentation. Students will gain practice in searching and critiquing the chemical literature and presenting technical information by preparing your seminar presentation, as well as by attending and critiquing seminars presented by speakers within and outside of the University.