The aim of this module is to extend a student's knowledge of Physical Chemistry. Three areas of contemporary relevance in Physical Chemistry will be introduced to the students to broaden their knowledge of the subject area. These areas are the Physical Chemistry of the Condensed Phase, Protein Structure and Protein Folding and Nanotechnology. The aims of these three components are detailed below:

·        Physical Chemistry of the Condensed State: this will describe the basic physical chemical concepts of processes in the condensed state,including electrochemical potentials, structure of liquids, conductivity of electrolytes, colloids and micelles. This is also aimed at achieving an understanding of the physical chemistry which underlies a number of important technologies, namely batteries and fuel cells, colloids and surfactants.

·    
60;   Protein Structure and Protein Folding: to discuss the application of basic physical chemistry concepts for describing protein structure and folding and to show how advanced physical chemistry methods are used for investigating these important aspects of proteins.

·        Nanotechnology: physicochemical aspects underlying current technological trends ranging from energy conversion to biomedical sciences are discussed. These include preparative aspects of nanomaterials, size dependence of physical and chemical properties and assembly strategies in nanotechnology.   

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• describe the physical chemistry underlying electrochemical cells;
• discuss the basic physical chemistry of batteries and fuel cells.
• describe the physical chemistry of surfactants and colloids

• discuss the importance of protein structure and dynamics for understanding biological processes;
• describe the experimental methods that are used to study protein structure and folding and their analysis;
• discuss and apply (quantitatively) the physical chemistry principles underlying these methods.
• discuss a number of examples of technological applications of nanotechnology.
• explain how size affects physical and chemical properties of materials.
• describe preparative approaches to n anoparticles and assembly strategies for nanostructures and materials.    

Protein Structure and Protein Folding (8 lectures)

• Importance of 3D protein structure for function
• Protein structure classification: Primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary
• Secondary structural elements: alpha-helix, beta-sheets, turns
• Ramachandran plot
• Methods for protein structure determination: diffraction methods, NMR, CD, FTIR/Raman
• Physical chemistry background: protein crystallisation, diffraction, 2D-NMR, electronic and vibrational spectroscopies
• Levinthal paradoxon
• Forces relevant for protein folding; hydrophobic interaction
• Basic kinetic schemes encountered in protein folding, protein folding models
• Observing the folding process - initialisation methods:
  rapid mixing, photochemical methods, temperature and pH jumps
• Observing the folding process - detection:
  Fluorescence, UV/vis-absorbance, CD, FTIR/Raman, NMR

Physical Chemistry of the Condensed Phase (8 lectures)

• Half cell reactions and standard electrode potentials. Use of the Nernst equation.
• The electrochemistry of batteries
• The structure of liquids and properties of electrolyte solutions: Ion-solvent interactions. Examples of ionic hydration energies.
• The electrochemistry of fuel cells
• Surface tension and liquid surfaces: surface tension and capillary rise. The principles of surfactants effects.
• The physical chemistry of colloids and micelles. Structure of colloidal solutions. Origin of colloid stability. Lyophilic and lyophobic colloids. Structure and properties of a mphiphilic molecules. Critical micelle concentration.

Nanotechnology (8 lectures)

• Preparation and characterisation of metal, semiconductor and carbonaceous nanoparticles.
• Titanium dioxide nanoparticles for solar energy conversion and environmental detoxification.
• Optical properties of gold and silver nanoparticles: plasmon resonance.
• Quantum size effects in semiconductor nanoparticles.
• “Classical” size effects: Coulomb blockade and quantised capacitance charging.
• Assembly strategies in nanotechnology: bottom-up vs top-down.
• Basic nanoelectronics.
• Nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

This module consists of 24 x  50-minute lectures to be given in the second semester.  These lectures will be used to provide the background material necessary to succeed in this module. The lectures will be supported by three tutorials. Each lecturer will set and hold one tutorial. These will include quantitative assignments which together contribute 10% of the total mark. There will be no additional marks for tutorial attendance. In these tutorials students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge that have gained from the lectures to problems of varying difficulty.

In addition each lecturer will set one essay topic or literature report, and students have to submit two of those, each counting 10%.They will be expected to complete these in their own time. Successful completion of these will require the application of both knowledge gained from lectures and from reading around the subject.

The students will use VMD, which is a protein structure and visualisation program. This will be in a small group session using the new computer lab in chemistry or the computers in the Physical Chemistry laboratory. Following an introductory session, students will be given tasks to complete independently, which will include downloading a particular protein structure, constructing graphical representations and the Ramachandran plot. These VMD tasks will contribute 5% of the total module mark.

Biophysics Textbook online (Biophysical Society): http://www.biophysics.org/education/resources.htm

"Physical Chemistry" P.W.Atkins,Oxford University Press
"Electrode Potentials", R.G. Compton and G.H.W. Sanders, Oxford Chemistry Primer, ISBN 0 19 8556845

Geoffrey Ozin and Andre Arsenault: "Nanochemistry: A Chemical Approach to Nanomaterials". RSC Publishing ISBN 085404664-X