Course Level:
Fourth Year
Academic Year:
2020/2021
This course introduces students to the fundamental principles behind a range of techniques used by biophysical chemists to study interesting biological systems. After a brief review of the building blocks of biomolecules (proteins, DNA/RNA, carbohydrates, lipids) and methods to quantify concentrations (absorbance), students will learn about methodology to determine structure (i.e. circular dichroism, NMR, X-ray/neutron crystallography). Methods to look at structures of bigger complexes, as well as molecular interactions will also be covered: light scattering, fluorescence, electron microscopy, SAXS/SANS, calorimetry, SPR, DSF, newer methods.