Ateneo - UPO

The course aims to provide students with the chemical-physical knowledge necessary for the study of chemical, biological, and pharmaceutical systems, with a focus on molecular spectroscopy, thermodynamics, and chemical kinetics.
Additionally, students will be provided with basic knowledge on: i) the chemical-physical principles governing the processes underlying instrumental analysis; ii) the operation of instrumental components that allow the acquisition of analytical signals; iii) the optimization of experimental conditions for the proper use of instruments; iv) the interpretation and processing of the obtained data.

Peter William Atkins, Julio de Paula “Elementi di chimica fisica” Zanichelli 2018 ISBN. 978-88-08-22068-4

Marc R. Roussel "A Life Scientist's guide to physical chemistry"
Cambridge University Press
ISBN 978-0-521-18696-4
Material provided by the lecturer and uploaded on DIR platform.

Knowledge and understanding: to acquire solid knowledge of the fundamental aspects of the chemical-physical properties underlying the investigation of systems of biotechnological, biological and pharmaceutical interest.
Applied knowledge and understanding: to acquire the ability to evaluate, in the light of the notions learned during the course, which are the most suitable chemical-physical methods for the study of certain systems.
Communication skills: to acquire and use an appropriate vocabulary in relation to the topics and techniques covered in the course.
Making judgements: ability to critically analyze the elements related to physical chemistry in complex and realistic problems.

Notions acquired within the courses of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, as well as mathematics notions from high school programs (e.g. logarithms, trigonometry, etc.).

Lectures will be held in the classroom with the use of slides, videos, and worked exercises. When possible, for certain specific topics, the “flipped classroom” approach will be experimented with. The teaching materials used during the lectures (in PDF format) will be made available on the DIR platform. One CFU, corresponding to 12 hours of lecture time, will be dedicated to in-class exercises.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Written exam: 4 exercises and 6 theory questions.
Optional oral exam after the written exam.

Introduction to Physical Chemistry and its Applications to Biological, Biotechnological Systems and Medicine.
Transition from the macroscopic world to the micro- and nanoscopic world to understand chemical and biological phenomena.
Interaction between energy and matter, with a focus on the mechanisms involved in the absorption and emission of electromagnetic radiation. Properties of the electromagnetic spectrum and its use as a source for molecular spectroscopy techniques.
Optical spectroscopies, such as vibrational (FTIR and Raman) and electronic spectroscopies (UV-Vis absorption and luminescence), will be examined by exploring the theoretical principles governing transitions between rotational, vibrational, and electronic levels, with an introduction to their applications for molecular recognition and the study of biomolecule structures and complex systems.
Regarding vibrational spectroscopies, FTIR and Raman will be analyzed, highlighting the differences in theoretical aspects and emphasizing their complementarity. The electronic spectroscopies covered will include UV-Vis absorption and luminescence (fluorescence and phosphorescence), as well as decay processes from excited electronic states.
Thermodynamics
Properties of gases: gases; ideal gases; gas laws; kinetic theory of gases; real gases.
The three laws of thermodynamics and the zeroth law. Spontaneity and reversibility of chemical reactions and reactions at equilibrium.
Physical equilibria. Physical transformations of pure substances. Phase diagrams. Stability of phases and phase transitions. Simple mixtures: thermodynamic description and phase diagrams. Ideal and real solutions, and their properties.
Chemical equilibrium and free energy. Thermodynamic equilibrium constant. Gibbs-Helmholtz equation. Van't Hoff equation.
Chemical Kinetics
The relationship between kinetics and thermodynamics. Definition of reaction rate and order. Kinetic laws and integration. Determination of reaction order and rate constant. Rate-determining step and steady-state approximation. Reaction rate and temperature: Arrhenius law. Relationship between equilibrium constant and rate constant. Mechanisms of chemical reactions. Enzyme kinetics.
Introduction to catalysis.

Students will have to know and be able to explain, also through the use of formalisms, the notions relating to the fundamental concepts of molecular spectroscopy, thermodynamics and kinetics applied to complex systems.