This course a high level overview of methods for the study of organic, organometallic, and inorganic reaction mechanism. Chem 441 (Mechanisms) or Chem 564 (Organometallics) is required. The course will survey thermodynamic and kinetic measurements used in understanding chemical reactions. Topics include kinetic measurements and interpretation, Arrhenius theory, Eyring theory, kinetic isotope effects, Hammett analyses, and electronic structure calculations. Articles discussing these techniques in delineating the reaction mechanisms for problems of current interest will be analyzed. The focus will be on experiments that can be accomplished with readily available analytical tools (NMR, IR, UV, GC, HPLC) and how an understanding of mechanism can be used to optimize reaction yields and selectivities.

Theoretical and experimental aspects of important rate processes in chemistry.

This course is broken into two sections: (1) optics, and (2) theory of spectroscopy including the discussion of techniques and examples. In the first section you will be introduced to both linear and nonlinear optics, through thinkling about how to design optical components in the laboratory setting. the second part of the course is a more traditional spectroscopy course, where different spectroscopies in the visible and infrared spectral region will be discussed. This part of the course will focus on understanding what we can learn from using specroscopy and what sort of dynamical processes can be observed with different spectroscopic techniques. Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to: optics, time-dependent perturbation theory, lineshapes, density matrix, group theory, selection rules.

Approximate methods in quantum theory and applications to molecular systems.

A continuation of CHEM 521. The course will emphasize the statistical mechanical description of systems in condensed phases.

The newly developed massively parallel technologies have enabled the simultaneous analysis of many pathways. There are several large scale international efforts to probe the genetics and drug sensitivity of cancer cell lines. However, there are some rare cancers that have not been analyzed in depth. One of these rare cancers is malignant peripheral nerve sheet tumors (MPNST). MPNST, although a rare cancer, are common in patients with neurofibromatosis type. In the course, students will take part in a high throughput discovery effort in two phases. Phase 1 is a training phase, which will consist of quantitative profiling the sensitivity of MPNST cell lines to a library of >120 common and experimental cancer drugs. These will be conducted in the UPenn High Throughput Screening Core. (http://www.med.upenn.edu/cores/High-ThroughputScreeningCore.shtml). While we call this a training phase, the data from this will be subject to rigorous quality control for eventual publication and development of a public database for rare tumors. Phase 2 is an independent research project. Examples of projects include, but are not limited to: Combinatorial screens (synthetic lethal); siRNA screens; novel compound screens; determining mechanisms of cell death; developing tools for data analysis and database development. During phase 2, students will also modify compounds of interest using the Penn Chemistry: Upenn/Merck High Throughput Experimentation Laboratory (https://www.chem.upenn.edu/content/penn-chemistry-upennmerck-high-throughput-e xperimentation-laboratory), and then retest them for activity to determine structure activity relationships. We will sponsor phase 2 projects relevant to neurofibromatosis. However, in phase two students can also research other areas if they develop sponsorships from professors. We expect the course to be a hypothesis engine that generates ideas for further research. Prerequisites include a strong foundation in biology and chemistry. Students will prepare an abstract proposal by week three on their phase 2 project, and a report, in scientific paper style, due on the last day of the semester.

Physical and chemical description of macromolecular information transfer. Gene organization, replication, recombination, regulation and expression. (Formerly, CHEM 450-II).

Fundamentals of biological chemistry, including the structure of biological macromolecules and their mechanism of action, intermediary metabolism, and the chemical basis of information transfer. Course can be taken concurrently with CHEM 242 or CHEM 243.

Fundamentals of biological chemistry, including the structure of biological macromolecules and their mechanism of action, intermediary metabolism, and the chemical basis of information transfer. Course can be taken concurrently with CHEM 242 or CHEM 243.

Fundamentals of biological chemistry, including the structure of biological macromolecules and their mechanism of action, intermediary metabolism, and the chemical basis of information transfer. Course can be taken concurrently with CHEM 242 or CHEM 243.