Outline of Topics for MCB 446
Physical Biochemistry: Structures and Dynamics
Spring 2014

Part I: Absorption and Fluorescence Spectroscopies:

  • 1. Introduction to quantum mechanics and molecular orbitals: UV-vis absorption spectroscopy
  • 2. Optical activity and CD spectroscopy
  • 3. Fluorescence spectroscopy and FRET

Part II: The Stokes radius and fluorescence anisotropy

  • 4. Hydrodynamic methods and molecular diffusion
  • 5. Fluorescence anisotropy
  • 6. The Fourier transform; FTIR spectroscopy

Part III Magnetic resonance spectroscopy

  • 7. Biological NMR
  • 8. Biological EPR

Part IV: Radiation scattering, imaging and diffraction

  • 9. Radius of gyration- Light scattering, small angle X-ray scattering
  • 10. X-ray diffraction
  • 11. Electron microscopy and image reconstruction

The course can be taken by any student who has introductory calculus and biochemistry. It is not necessary for students to have taken BIOC 440b "Physical Biochemistry: Thermodynamics and Kinetics" though it is recommended. MCB 446 covers a broad range of spectroscopic and other methods used to study biological macromolecules.