PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

The course aims to provide knowledge of the basic laws of chemistry and physics needed to understand the origin and evolution of chemical, biochemical and biological phenomena and their pharmaceutical applications. The thermodynamics principles are described and how they enable or set limits in the various energy transformations. Particular attention is paid to phenomena that involve transformations of chemical energy into electrical energy or radiant energy and vice versa, fundamental processes governing the vital mechanisms.

Another knowledge to be achieved concerns the kinetics of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical elementary processes and their practical implications.

The course also offers numerical exercises that allow you to consolidate the basic concepts and to make connections between theory and experimental chemical evidence.

THERMODYNAMICS

The first law of thermodynamics. Work and Heat. State functions: internal energy, enthalpy, heat capacity at constant pressure and volume. Thermodynamic cycles, reversible and irreversible processes. Thermochemistry. Standard enthalpy, enthalpy of reaction, enthalpies of formation, bond energy endothermic and exothermic processes The Hess's law.

Experimental techniques: calorimetry, TGA, DTA, DSC and ITC. Energetic metabolism, caloric value of food, and respiratory quotient.

The second principle of thermodynamics. Entropy and spontaneous processes. Entropy changes with temperature and pressure and in the phase transitions.

The third principle of thermodynamics. Absolute entropy. Gibbs free energy. Gibbs energy dependence on pressure and temperature.

Chemical equilibrium. Thermodynamic equilibrium constants. Homogeneous, heterogeneous and combined equilibria. Effect of temperature on equilibrium. Efficiency and performance of biochemical cycles.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY

Conductivity of electrolyte solutions, conductometry and conductometric titrations. Electrodic potentials, half-cells, batteries, Nernst equation. Standard reduction potentials and its applications in chemistry and biochemistry. Electrolysis.

CHEMICAL KINETICS

Rates of chemical reactions, reaction order. Integrated form of the kinetic equations of zero, first and second order. Parallel-competitive reactions and consecutive reactions. Pharmacokinetics: intravenous and oral administration. Reaction mechanisms and reaction order: the model of the activated complex. Catalytic and autocatalytic processes, propagation of an epidemic. Enzyme-catalyzed reactions: Michaelis-Menten equation. Enzyme inhibitors: competitive, noncompetitive, uncompetitive and mixed. Inhibition by substrate and product. Effect of temperature on reaction rate: Arrhenius equation.

TECHNICAL INVESTIGATION OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE

Brief introduction to quantum mechanics. Description of the different atomic motions and related spectroscopic techniques. Vibrational spectroscopies: infrared, Raman and resonant-Raman. Electron spectroscopy, molecular orbitals, chromophores. Photophysical and photochemical processes. Photosynthesis. Laser stimulated emission.

P.W. Atkins, J. De Paula "Chimica Fisica Biologica" Volume 1, Ed. Zanichelli
R. Chang "Chimica Fisica" Volume 1 Ed. Zanichelli
G.K. Vemulapalli “Chimica Fisica” Ed. EDISES
P.W. Atkins, J. De Paula "Chimica Fisica " Ed. Zanichelli
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