Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry strives to prepare students to be independent researchers and exposes them to advanced instrumentation and coursework that strengthens communication skills. The graduate program is regionally, nationally, and internationally recognized. Because much of Northeast Ohio industry is based on chemicals and chemistry products, the department is committed to improving the lives of people in the campus, community, region, state, and nation through its chemical expertise.

Visit the Department of Chemistry website to learn more about its faculty and facilities.

Chemistry (CHEM)

CHEM 501  Biochemistry Lecture I  (3 Units)  
Biochemistry of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids: structure/function relations. Enzymes as catalysts: kinetics and regulation. Cofactors.
CHEM 502  Biochemistry Lecture II  (3 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 501. Overview of metabolism; thermodynamics; carbohydrate, fatty acid, amino acid, and nucleoside anabolism and catabolism; hormonal control of metabolism. Photosynthesis.
CHEM 506  Biochemistry of Gene Expression  (3 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 501, or permission of the department. DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, translation and transcription. Gene function and expression, cell cycle and cancer, genetic engineering, gene silencing, gain of function studies.
CHEM 510  Special Readings in Analytical Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
Selected topics in advanced analytical chemistry for which no course exists. (May be repeated)
CHEM 511  Special Readings in Inorganic Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
Selected topics in advanced inorganic chemistry for which no course exists. (May be repeated)
CHEM 512  Special Readings in Organic Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
Selected topics in advanced organic chemistry for which no course exists. (May be repeated)
CHEM 513  Special Readings in Physical Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
Selected topics in advanced physical chemistry for which no course exists. (May be repeated)
CHEM 515  Special Readings in Biochemistry  (1-3 Units)  
Selected topics in advanced biochemistry for which no course exists. (May be repeated)
CHEM 572  Advanced Inorganic Chemistry  (3 Units)  
Concepts of atomic structure integrated in systematic classification of elements. Periodic table. Chemistry of the representative elements. Transition elements including coordination compounds, organometallics and metal carbonyls.
CHEM 590  Workshop in Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
(May be repeated) Group studies of special topics in chemistry. May not be used to meet undergraduate or graduate major requirements in chemistry.
CHEM 592  Special Topics: Chemical Education  (1-3 Units)  
(May be repeated up to 6 credits) Consideration of topics in chemical education.
CHEM 599  Master's Degree Research  (1-6 Units)  
For properly qualified candidates for master's degree. Supervised original research in analytical, inorganic, organic, physical or biochemistry.
CHEM 603  Biochemistry Lecture III  (3 Units)  
Prerequisites: CHEM 501 and CHEM 502. DNA, RNA and protein metabolism. Translation and transcription. Gene function and expression.
CHEM 610  Basic Quantum Chemistry  (3 Units)  
Quantum mechanics with applications to molecular systems. Includes angular momentum, molecular hamiltonians, variation and perturbation methods and molecular orbital theories.
CHEM 611  Spectroscopy  (3 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 610. Interaction of light with matter, linear and nonlinear spectroscopies. Rotational, vibrational and electronic spectroscopy. Radiationless transitions and photochemistry.
CHEM 619  Transition-Metal Organometallics  (3 Units)  
The organometallic chemistry of the transition metal elements. Topics covered include synthesis, characterization methods, structure, bonding, reactivity, and application.
CHEM 620  Main Group Organometallics  (3 Units)  
The organometallic chemistry of main group elements. Topics covered include synthesis, characterization methods, structure, bonding, reactivity, and applications.
CHEM 625  Chemistry Seminar  (1 Unit)  
Lectures on current research topics in chemistry by invited speakers.
CHEM 629  Physical Inorganic Chemistry  (3 Units)  
Detailed treatment of chemistry of transition elements. Group theoretical applications, ligand field theory, kinetics and mechanism magnetism, electronic spectra, molecular orbital theory.
CHEM 630  Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry II  (2 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 629. Detailed treatment of chemistry of transition elements. Group theoretical applications, ligand field theory, kinetics and mechanism, electronic spectra, molecular orbital theory.
CHEM 631  Metals in Medicine  (3 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 572. This course will cover the synthesis and development of metal based medicines including the tumor drug cisplatin, technetium 99m based imaging agents, and silver antimicrobials.
CHEM 635  Thermodynamics & Statistical Thermodynamics  (3 Units)  
Rigorous treatment of laws of thermodynamics and their applications to selected chemical systems. Fundamentals of statistical thermodynamics and applications to systems in chemical equilibrium.
CHEM 636  Chemical Kinetics  (3 Units)  
Phenomenological kinetics, experimental methods of investigation and analysis of reaction systems. Theoretical treatments of reaction rates.
CHEM 640  Chemical Separations  (3 Units)  
General theory, instrumentation and application of methods of separation. Emphasis on modern chromatographic techniques and recent advances.
CHEM 641  Spectral Methods  (3 Units)  
Theory and application of instrumental measurements. Interpretation of data.
CHEM 645  X-Ray Crystallography  (3 Units)  
The theoretical and practical aspects of single crystal x-ray crystallography are discussed. Topics covered include diffraction, space groups, structure solution and refinement.
CHEM 670  Spectroscopic Identification of Organic Compounds  (3 Units)  
Determination of the structures of organic compounds by spectroscopic analysis: ORD/CD, UV-VIS spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, FT-NMR spectroscopy, 2D-NMR.
CHEM 679  Inorganic Polymers  (3 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 572 or permission of instructor. Synthesis, structure, bonding, characterization, and applications of polysiloxanes, polyphosphazenes, polysilanes, polycarbosilanes, poly(ferroceneophanes), sol-gel materials, coordination polymers and related materials.
CHEM 683  Mechanistic & Synthetic Organic Chemistry I  (3 Units)  
Introduction to the structural and mechanistic aspects of organic reactions: HMO calculations, acids and bases, equilibrium, kinetics, linear free energy relationships, reactive intermediates, reaction mechanisms.
CHEM 684  Mechanistic & Synthetic Organic Chemistry II  (3 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 683. Synthetic organic chemistry from a mechanistic perspective: nucleophilic and electrophilic substitution and addition reactions, carbonyl chemistry, functional group manipulations, oxidations, reductions, cycloaddition reactions.
CHEM 699  Master's Thesis  (1-6 Units)  
For properly qualified candidates for master's degree. Supervised original research in analytical, inorganic, organic, physical or biochemistry.
CHEM 710  Special Topics in Analytical Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
(May be repeated) Topics in advanced analytical chemistry. Electroanalysis, activation analysis, atomic absorption spectrometry, mass spectrometry, liquid-liquid, liquid-solid and gas chromatography, ion exchange, thermoanalytical methods, separations, standards, sampling, recent developments.
CHEM 711  Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
(May be repeated) Consideration of topics in modern inorganic chemistry such as coordination compounds, chemistry of the solid state, representative elements, nonaqueous solvents, organometallic compounds, homogeneous catalysis.
CHEM 712  Special Topics in Organic Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
(May be repeated) Topics in advanced organic chemistry such as natural products, heterocyclic compounds, photochemistry.
CHEM 713  Special Topics in Physical Chemistry  (1-3 Units)  
(May be repeated) Subjects from modern physical chemistry.
CHEM 715  Special Topics: Biochemistry  (1-3 Units)  
(May be repeated) Recent developments in areas of biochemistry.
CHEM 720  Advanced Biochemical Techniques  (3 Units)  
Prerequisite: CHEM 502. An advanced lecture course on physical techniques in biochemistry. Includes optical and hydrodynamic methods; radioanalytical techniques, scattering and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
CHEM 722  Enzymatic Reactions  (3 Units)  
Prerequisites: CHEM 501 and CHEM 502. Mechanisms of enzyme catalyzed reactions, general aspects and specific examples for phosphory, acyl, glycosyl transfers, eliminations, oxidation/reduction, isomerization and rearrangements. Chemistry of cofactors.
CHEM 724  Bioinorganic Chemistry  (3 Units)  
Prerequisites: CHEM 501 and CHEM 502. Survey of the structure and properties of metal ion complexes with amino acids, nucleotides, metabolites and macromolecules; metal ion metabolism; metals in medicine.
CHEM 726  Advanced Metabolism  (3 Units)  
Prerequisites: CHEM 501 and CHEM 502. Study of advanced pathways in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism with emphasis placed on metabolic dysfunction.
CHEM 740  Physical Organic Chemistry  (3 Units)  
Prerequisites: CHEM 683 and CHEM 684. An advanced treatment of the theory and mechanisms of organic chemistry: FMO theory, molecular mechanics, molecular strain, kinetics, thermodynamics, (Formerly 3150:740)
CHEM 750  Advanced Synthetic Organic Chemistry  (3 Units)  
Prerequisites: CHEM 683 and CHEM 684. An advanced treatment of organic functional group manipulations in the context of the total synthesis of natural products.
CHEM 899  Doctoral Dissertation  (1-16 Units)  
Open to qualified student accepted as a candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry. Supervised original research undertaken in organic, inorganic, physical, analytical or biochemistry.