CHCHE Courses (2024-25)

First term: An introduction to general chemistry concepts with a focus on structure and bonding. Concepts will be tied to fundamental principles related to energy sustainability. Descriptions of atoms, both the physical and electronic structure with an introduction to quantum mechanics; chemical bonding models building up from molecules to extended solids; periodic trends; electrochemistry; and descriptions of states of matter. Second Term: A continuation of introduction to general chemistry concepts with a focus on chemical reactivity, and properties of complex chemical systems. Concepts related to energy, sustainability and human health will be the focus of the course with coverage of chemical thermodynamics; kinetics; non-covalent interactions; structure and bonding of organic molecules. Grade pass/fail.

Introduces the basic principles and techniques of synthesis and analysis and develops the laboratory skills and precision that are fundamental to experimental chemistry. Limited enrollment. Students must take Ch 3 in their first six terms of residence in order to be graded pass/fail. Ch 3 a and Ch 3 x both satisfy the institute's Core requirement for a Chemistry Laboratory.

Introduction to methods of synthesis, separation, purification, and characterization used routinely in chemical research laboratories. Ch 4 a focuses on the synthesis and analysis of organic molecules; Ch 4 b focuses on the synthesis and analysis of inorganic and organometallic molecules. Ch 4 a, second term; Ch 4 b, third term.

Modern synthetic chemistry. Specific experiments may change from year to year. Ch 5 a focuses on experiments illustrating the multistep syntheses of natural products. Ch 5 b focuses on the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of coordination and organometallic complexes and their applications in organic and electrochemical catalysis. Methodology will include advanced techniques of synthesis and instrumental characterization. Terms may be taken independently. Part a not offered 2023-24.

Introduction to methods of extraction, synthesis, separation and purification, and spectroscopic characterization of Aspirin, Tylenol, and medical test strips. Open to non-premedical students, as space allows.

Ch 10 ab is a weekly seminar by a member of the chemistry department on a topic of current research; the topic will be presented at an informal, introductory level. Ch 10 c is a research-oriented laboratory course, which will be supervised by a chemistry faculty member. Weekly class meetings will provide a forum for participants to discuss their research projects. Graded pass/fail.

This course will introduce the Chemical Engineering discipline, career options and research opportunities through lectures and panel discussions by faculty and alumni. Graded pass/fail.

The course will focus on techniques used in modern biochemistry laboratories. Students will learn how to express recombinant proteins in bacteria and purify them with various chromatography techniques. Purified proteins will be characterized by various in vitro assays.

Develops the basic principles of chemical equilibrium in aqueous solutions, emphasizing acid-base chemistry, complex ion formation, chelation, solubility, oxidation-reduction reactions, and partitioning equilibria for separations.

Laboratory experiments are used to illustrate modern instrumental techniques that are currently employed in industrial and academic research. Emphasis is on determinations of chemical composition, measurement of equilibrium constants, evaluation of rates of chemical reactions, and trace-metal analysis.

Atomic and molecular quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, chemical dynamics, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics.

The synthesis, structure, and reaction mechanisms of organic compounds.

A comprehensive treatment of classical thermodynamics with engineering and chemical applications. First and second laws. Applications to closed and open systems. Equations of state. Thermochemical calculations. Properties of real fluids. Power generation and refrigeration cycles. Multicomponent systems, excess properties, fugacities, activity coefficients, and models of nonideal solutions. Chemical potential. Phase and chemical reaction equilibria.

Special problems or courses arranged to meet the emerging needs of undergraduate students. Topics have included AIChE's annual Chem-E-Car Competition. May be repeated for credit, as content may vary. Grading scheme at instructor's discretion.

Offered to B.S. candidates in chemistry. Units in accordance with work accomplished. Prerequisite: consent of research supervisor. Experimental and theoretical research requiring a report containing an appropriate description of the research work.

Research in chemical engineering offered as an elective in any term. Graded pass/fail.

Occasional advanced work involving reading assignments and a report on special topics. No more than 12 units in Ch 81 may be used as electives in the chemistry option.

Three terms of Ch 82 are to be completed during the junior and/or senior year of study. At the end of the third term, students enrolled in Ch 82 will present a thesis of approximately 20 pages (excluding figures and references) to the mentor and the Chemistry Curriculum and Undergraduate Studies Committee. The thesis must be approved by both the research mentor and the CUSC. An oral thesis defense will be arranged by the CUSC in the third term for all enrollees. The first two terms of Ch 82 will be taken on a pass/fail basis, and the third term will carry a letter grade.

Training in the techniques of oral presentation of chemical and biochemical topics. Practice in the effective organization and delivery of technical reports before groups. Strong oral presentation is an essential skill for successful job interviews and career advancement. Graded pass/fail. Class size limited to 12 students.

Training in the writing of scientific research papers for chemists and chemical engineers. Fulfills the Institute scientific writing requirement.

Small group study and discussion on special areas of chemistry, chemical engineering, molecular biology, or biophysics. Instructors drawn from advanced graduate students and postdoctoral staff will lead weekly tutorial sessions and assign short homework assignments, readings, or discussions. Tutorials to be arranged with instructors before registration.

A rigorous development of the basic differential equations of conservation of momentum, energy, and mass in fluid systems. Solution of problems involving fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer.

A survey of selected topics beyond introductory organic chemistry, including reaction mechanisms and catalysis.

An introduction to analysis and design of feedback control systems in the time and frequency domain, with an emphasis on state space methods, robustness, and design tradeoffs. Linear input/output systems, including input/output response via convolution, reachability, and observability. State feedback methods, including eigenvalue placement, linear quadratic regulators, and model predictive control. Output feedback including estimators and two-degree of freedom design. Input/output modeling via transfer functions and frequency domain analysis of performance and robustness, including the use of Bode and Nyquist plots. Robustness, tradeoffs and fundamental limits, including the effects of external disturbances and unmodeled dynamics, sensitivity functions, and the Bode integral formula.

Lectures and recitation introducing the molecular basis of life processes. In the first term, topics will include the structure and chemical properties of biological macromolecules, molecular biology methods, and biological catalysis. The second term will cover an overview of metabolism and the biochemistry behind the transmission of genetic information.

Lectures and recitation on the molecular basis of biological structure and function. Emphasizes the storage, transmission, and expression of genetic information in cells. Specific topics include DNA replication, recombination, repair and mutagenesis, transcription, RNA processing, and chromatin structure.

Examines the Earth's resources including fresh water, nitrogen, carbon and other biogeochemical cycles that impose planetary constraints on engineering; systems approaches to sustainable development goals; fossil fuel formation, chemical composition, production and use; engineering challenges and opportunities in decarbonizing energy, transportation and industry; global flows of critical elements used in zero-carbon energy systems; food-water-energy nexus; analysis of regional and local systems to model effects of human activities on air, water and soil.

Introduction to group theory, ligand field theory, and bonding in coordination complexes and organotransition metal compounds. Systematics of bonding, reactivity, and spectroscopy of commonly encountered classes of transition metal compounds.

Discussion of the fundamentals and applications of electrochemistry with an emphasis on the structure of electrode-electrolyte interfaces, mechanisms by which charge is transferred across it, kinetics of mass transfer to the interface, experimental techniques used to study electrode reactions, and application of electrochemical techniques to study materials chemistry. Topics may vary but usually include electrochemical thermodynamics, potential step waveforms, the electrical double layer, charge transfer kinetics, mass transfer kinetics, voltammetry, chronocoulometry, EIS, and RDE.

Modern ideas of chemical bonding, with an emphasis on qualitative concepts useful for predictions of structures, energetics, excited states, and properties. Part a: The quantum mechanical basis for understanding bonding, structures, energetics, and properties of materials (polymers, ceramics, metals alloys, semiconductors, and surfaces), including transition metal and organometallic systems with a focus on chemical reactivity. The emphasis is on explaining chemical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of materials in terms of atomistic concepts. Part b: The student does an individual research project using modern quantum chemistry computer programs to calculate wavefunctions, structures, and properties of real molecules.

Application of Atomistic-based methods [Quantum Mechanics (QM) and Molecular Dynamics (MD)] for predicting the structures and properties of molecules and solids and simulating the dynamical properties. This course emphasizes hands-on use of modern commercial software (such as Jaguar for QM, VASP for periodic QM, and LAMMPS for MD) for practical applications and is aimed at experimentalists and theorists interested in understanding structures, properties, and dynamics in such areas as biological systems (proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, lipids); polymers (crystals, amorphous systems, co-polymers); semiconductors (group IV, III-V, surfaces, defects); inorganic systems (ceramics, zeolites, superconductors, and metals); organo-metallics, and catalysis (heterogeneous, homogeneous, and electrocatalysis). Ch 121 a covers the basic methods with hands-on applications to systems of interest using modern software. The homework for the first 5 weeks emphasizes computer-based solutions. For the second 5 weeks of the homework each student proposes a short research project and uses atomistic simulations to solve it. Ch 121 b each student selects a more extensive research project and uses atomistic simulations to solve it.

This course provides an introduction to small molecule X-ray crystallography. Topics include symmetry, space groups, diffraction by crystals, the direct and reciprocal lattice, Patterson and direct methods for phase determination, and structure refinement. It will cover both theoretical and applied concepts and include hands-on experience in data collection, structure solution and structure refinement.

A survey course in the properties of nuclei, and in atomic phenomena associated with nuclear-particle detection. Topics include rates of production and decay of radioactive nuclei; interaction of radiation with matter; nuclear masses, shapes, spins, and moments; modes of radioactive decay; nuclear fission and energy generation. Given in alternate years; offered 2024-25.

This course will cover basic optics and introduce modern optical spectroscopy principles and microscopy techniques. Topics include molecular spectroscopy, linear and nonlinear florescence microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, coherent microscopy, single-molecule spectroscopy, and super-resolution imaging.

Physical description and computations of chemical reactions and photochemistry with applications in air pollution, planetary atmospheres and condensed phases. Topics include: kinetic modeling, time-dependent quantum mechanics, rate constants, transition state theory intermolecular potentials, classical two-body elastic scattering, reactive scattering, nonadiabatic processes, statistical theories of unimolecular reactions, photochemistry, laser and molecular beam methods, theory of electron transfer, solvent effects, condensed phase dynamics, surface reactions, isotope effects.

Student groups complete a one-term, data-science project that addresses an instructor-approved chemical engineering challenge. The project may be an original research idea; related to work by a research group at the Institute; an entry in a relevant national/regional contest; a response to an industry relationship; or other meaningful opportunity. There is no lecture, but students participate in weekly progress updates. A student may not select a project too similar to research completed to fulfill requirements for ChE 80 or ChE 90 abc.

The properties and photoelectrochemistry of semiconductors and semiconductor/liquid junction solar cells will be discussed. Topics include optical and electronic properties of semiconductors; electronic properties of semiconductor junctions with metals, liquids, and other semiconductors, in the dark and under illumination, with emphasis on semiconductor/liquid junctions in aqueous and nonaqueous media. Problems currently facing semiconductor/liquid junctions and practical applications of these systems will be highlighted. Part b not offered 2024-25.

An introduction to the chemistry of polymers, including synthetic methods and mechanisms of macromolecule formation, characterization techniques, reactivity, and applications.

An introduction to the physics that govern the structure and dynamics of polymeric liquids, and to the physical basis of characterization methods used in polymer science. The course emphasizes the scaling aspects of the various physical properties. Topics include conformation of a single polymer, a chain under different solvent conditions; dilute and semi-dilute solutions; thermodynamics of polymer blends and block copolymers; polyelectrolytes; rubber elasticity; polymer gels; linear viscoelasticity of polymer solutions and melts.

Discussion of key principles in organic chemistry, with an emphasis on reaction mechanisms and problem-solving. This course is intended primarily for first-year graduate students with a strong foundation in organic chemistry. Meets during the first three weeks of the term. Graded pass/fail.

The foundations of heat, mass, and momentum transfer for single and multiphase fluids will be developed. Governing differential equations; laminar flow of incompressible fluids at low and high Reynolds numbers; forced and free convective heat and mass transfer, diffusion, and dispersion. Emphasis will be placed on physical understanding, scaling, and formulation and solution of boundary-value problems. Applied mathematical techniques will be developed and used throughout the course.

Survey of heterogeneous reactions on metal and oxide catalysts. Langmuir-Hinshelwood versus Eley-Rideal reaction mechanisms. Reaction, diffusion, and heat transfer in heterogeneous catalytic systems. Characterization of porous catalysts.

Ch 153 a: Topics in modern inorganic chemistry. Electronic structure, spectroscopy, and photochemistry with emphasis on examples from the research literature. Ch 153 b: Applications of physical methods to the characterization of inorganic and bioinorganic species, with an emphasis on the practical application of Moessbauer, EPR, and pulse EPR spectroscopies. Ch 153 c: Theoretical and spectroscopic approaches to understanding the electronic structure of transition metal ions. Topics in the 153 bc alternate sequence may include saturation magnetization and zero-field splitting in magnetic circular dichroism and molecular magnetism, hyperfine interactions in electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, Moessbauer and magnetic Moessbauer spectroscopy, vibronic interactions in electronic absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopy, and bonding analyses using x-ray absorption and/or emission spectroscopies. Parts b not offered 2024-25.

A general discussion of the reaction mechanisms and the synthetic and catalytic uses of transition metal organometallic compounds. Second term: a survey of the elementary reactions and methods for investigating reaction mechanisms. Third term: contemporary topics in inorganic and organometallic synthesis, structure and bonding, and applications in catalysis. Part b not offered 2024-25.

The course introduces rational design and evolutionary methods for engineering functional protein and nucleic acid systems. Rational design topics include molecular modeling, positive and negative design paradigms, simulation and optimization of equilibrium and kinetic properties, design of catalysts, sensors, motors, and circuits. Evolutionary design topics include evolutionary mechanisms and tradeoffs, fitness landscapes and directed evolution of proteins. Some assignments require programming (Python is the language of instruction).

An introduction to the fundamentals and simple applications of statistical thermodynamics. Foundation of statistical mechanics; partition functions for various ensembles and their connection to thermodynamics; fluctuations; noninteracting quantum and classical gases; heat capacity of solids; adsorption; phase transitions and order parameters; linear response theory; structure of classical fluids; computer simulation methods.

An advanced course emphasizing the conceptual structure of modern thermodynamics and its applications. Review of the laws of thermodynamics; thermodynamic potentials and Legendre transform; equilibrium and stability conditions; metastability and phase separation kinetics; thermodynamics of single-component fluid and binary mixtures; models for solutions; phase and chemical equilibria; surface and interface thermodynamics; electrolytes and polymeric liquids.

A detailed course about chemical transformation in Earth's atmosphere. Kinetics, spectroscopy, and thermodynamics of gas-phase chemistry of the stratosphere and troposphere; sources, sinks, and lifetimes of trace atmospheric species; stratospheric ozone chemistry; oxidation mechanisms in the troposphere; aerosol chemistry.

This course will cover selected aspects of the chemistry of aquatic systems. Lectures cover basic principles of physical-organic chemistry relevant to the aquatic environment under realistic conditions. Specific topics covered in this course include the basic principles of equilibrium chemical and physical processes important for natural waters. Topics include: chemical potential, fugacity, phase transfer, acid-base chemistry, metal-ligand substitution chemistry, surface chemistry, octanol-water partitioning, air-water partitioning, partitioning to solid organic matter and biomedia, sorption processes, air-water exchange dynamics, and the kinetics and mechanisms of coupled organic and inorganic redox reactions. Thermodynamics, transport, phase transfer and kinetics are emphasized.

Climate change has already begun to impact life on the planet, and will continue in the coming decades. This class will explore particular causes and impacts of climate change, technologies to mitigate or adapt to those impacts, and the economic and social costs associated with them - particular focus will be paid to distributional issues, environmental and racial justice and equity intersections. The course will consist of 3-4 topical modules, each focused on a specific impact or sector (e.g. the electricity or transportation sector, climate impacts of food and agriculture, increasing fires and floods). Each module will contain lectures/content on the associated climate science background, engineering/technological developments to combat the issue, and an exploration of the economics and the inequities that exacerbate the situation, followed by group discussion and synthesis of the different perspectives.

Offered to M.S. candidates in chemistry. Graded pass/fail.

Special courses of readings or laboratory instruction. The student should consult a member of the faculty and prepare a definite program of reading, computation, theory and/or experiment. The student must submit a summary of progress at midterm and, at the end of the quarter, a final assignment designed in consultation with the instructor. This course may be credited only once. Grading: either grades or pass/fail, as arranged with the instructor.

The course focuses on a seminar on selected topics from outside faculty on recent advances in biochemistry. Components for each faculty visit include participation in a recitation, a formal discussion section with visiting faculty, and attendance of the Biochemistry seminar. Biochemistry Seminars take place 1-2 times per month (usually 4pm on Thursdays).

A tutorial course of problem solving in the more advanced aspects of ligand field theory. Recommended only for students interested in detailed theoretical work in the inorganic field.

Quantum mechanical foundations of optical spectroscopy as applied to chemical and material systems. Topics include optical properties of materials, nonlinear and quantum optics, and multidimensional spectroscopy.

Advanced course in macromolecular crystallography integrating lecture and laboratory treatment of diffraction theory, crystallization (proteins, nucleic acids and macromolecular complexes), crystal characterization, X-ray sources and optics, crystal freezing, X-ray diffraction data collection (in-house and synchrotron), data reduction, multiple isomorphous replacement, single- and multi-wavelength anomalous diffraction phasing techniques, molecular replacement, electron density interpretation, structure refinement, structure validation, coordinate deposition and structure presentation. In the laboratory component, one or more proteins will be crystallized and the structure(s) determined by several methods, in parallel with lectures on the theory and discussions of the techniques.

An integrated approach to synthetic problem solving featuring an extensive review of modern synthetic reactions with concurrent development of strategies for synthesis design. Part a will focus on the application of modern methods of stereocontrol in the construction of stereochemically complex acyclic systems. Part b will focus on strategies and reactions for the synthesis of cyclic systems. Part b not offered 2024-25.

By arrangement with members of the faculty, properly qualified graduate students will have the opportunity to engage in a short-term research project culminating in a presentation to their peers enrolled in the course and participating laboratories. (Pass-Fail only).

By arrangement with members of the faculty, properly qualified graduate students are directed in research in chemistry.

Offered to Ph.D. candidates in chemical engineering. Main lines of research now in progress are covered in detail in section two.