Principles of Chemical Science

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Course Features

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the chemistry of biological, inorganic, and organic molecules. The emphasis is on basic principles of atomic and molecular electronic structure, thermodynamics, acid-base and redox equilibria, chemical kinetics, and catalysis.

In an effort to illuminate connections between chemistry and biology, a list of the biology-, medicine-, and MIT research-related examples used in 5.111 is provided in Biology-Related Examples.

Acknowledgments

Development and implementation of the biology-related materials in this course were funded through an HHMI Professors grant to Prof. Catherine L. Drennan.

Video Lectures


SES # TOPICS
L1 The importance of chemical principles
L2 Discovery of electron and nucleus, need for quantum mechanics
L3 Wave-particle duality of light
L4 Wave-particle duality of matter, Schrödinger equation
L5 Hydrogen atom energy levels
L6 Hydrogen atom wavefunctions (orbitals)
L7 p-orbitals
L8 Multielectron atoms and electron configurations
L9 Periodic trends
L10 Periodic trends continued; Covalent bonds
L11 Lewis structures
L12 Exceptions to Lewis structure rules; Ionic bonds
L13 Polar covalent bonds; VSEPR theory
L14 Molecular orbital theory
L15 Valence bond theory and hybridization
L16 Determining hybridization in complex molecules; Thermochemistry and bond energies/bond enthalpies
L17 Entropy and disorder
L18 Free energy and control of spontaneity
L19 Chemical equilibrium
L20 Le Chatelier's principle and applications to blood-oxygen levels
L21 Acid-base equilibrium: Is MIT water safe to drink?
L22 Chemical and biological buffers
L23 Acid-base titrations
L24 Balancing oxidation/reduction equations
L25 Electrochemical cells
L26 Chemical and biological oxidation/reduction reactions
L27 Transition metals and the treatment of lead poisoning
L28 Crystal field theory
L29 Metals in biology
L30 Magnetism and spectrochemical theory
L31 Rate laws
L32 Nuclear chemistry and elementary reactions
L33 Reaction mechanism
L34 Temperature and kinetics
L35 Enzyme catalysis
L36 Biochemistry