Chemistry 303: The Role of Metals in Life – a new undergraduate class in

Professor: Nicolai Lehnert; 2807 Chem Office Hours: By Appointment, email: [email protected], phone: 615-3673 Class Hours: Monday, Wednesday: 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 1640 CHEM; Friday: 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 1650 CHEM

Topic Concepts Literature Sept. 08 General introduction to biomolecules: amino acids, Protein structure and Introductory textbooks to proteins folding, dynamics biochemistry Sept. 10 General introduction to biomolecules (cont.): nucleic Introductory textbooks to acids, DNA and RNA, cofactors biochemistry Sept. 13 Functions of metals in cells: : Gray et al., Chapter IV classification with respect to metals, function (molecular transport, catalysis, electron transfer, signaling), and cofactors Sept. 15 Functions of metals in cells (cont.): gene Gray et al., Chapters XIV.1 transcription, regulation of cell function, etc. XIV.2 Sept. 17 Group Theory: Symmetry elements and operations, Miessler/Tarr point groups Sept. 20 Group Theory (cont.): point groups, character tables Miessler/Tarr Sept. 22 Properties of transition metals: Metal oxidation and Ligand Field Theory Miessler/Tarr spin states, d-orbitals, octahedral complexes, high- and low-spin Sept. 24 Properties of transition metals (cont.): the MO Theory Miessler/Tarr coordinative bond, simple molecular orbital diagrams Sept. 27 Acid-Base Chemistry Hard and soft acids and Miessler/Tarr bases Sept. 29 homeostasis: uptake and transport by transferrin Gray et al., Chapters V and in humans, transfer into cells VIII.1 Oct. 01 Iron Storage: ferritin - magnetic nanoparticles in your Quantum dots Gray et al., Chapters V and body! VIII.2 Oct. 04 Iron metabolism and bacterial infection: the hunt for Ligand binding constants, Gray et al., Chapter VIII.3 iron, siderophores, why do cells need all this iron? chemical equilibrium Oct. 06 Understanding the importance of iron: dioxygen Absorption spectroscopy Berg, Biochemistry, transport by red blood cells, , myoglobin Chapter 7, and Gray et al., Oct. 08 Understanding the importance of iron (cont.) Cooperativity Chapter XI.4 Oct. 11 Iron (cont.): diseases related to insufficient or What are genetic inflated iron uptake: anemia and hemochromatosis diseases? Oct. 13 Regulation of blood pressure: nitric oxide based Types of metal-ligand Gray et al., Chapter XIV.4, signaling, hypoxia sensing bonds Handout Oct. 15 Red blood cells (cont.): sickle cell anemia and Berg, Biochemistry, malaria: the ‘ethnicity’ of genetic diseases as a Chapter 7, Handout response to the environment Oct. 20 Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms: Associative and Miessler/Tarr dissociative ligand substitution, associated kinetics Oct. 22 Powering the cell: cytochrome c oxidase and ATP McKee, Biochemistry, production, aerobic respiration Chapter 10 and Gray et al., Chapters XI.6 and XI.8 Oct. 25 Other iron enzymes: cytochrome P450 and drug Gray et al., Chapters metabolism, biosynthesis of steroids XI.5.1, Handout Oct. 27 Other iron enzymes: electron transfer proteins: Electron tunneling in Gray et al., Chapters X.1 cytochrome c, iron-sulfur proteins proteins, what is a cluster? Oct. 29 : homeostasis and storage, important copper Redox reactions, entatic Gray et al., Chapters proteins: blue copper state VIII.5, VIII.6 and X.1

Topic Concepts Literature Nov. 01 Copper: Menkes and Wilson’s disease Gray et al., Chapter VIII.5 Nov. 03 : homeostasis and storage, importance of Polarization of bound Gray et al., Chapters hydrolytic zinc proteins, carboanhydrase water: activation of ligands IX.1.3 and IX.2.4 Nov. 05 Zinc (cont.): Acrodermatitis enteropathica, Zinc Reading: ‘All I could do overload, Zinc proteins as bacterial defenses against was stand in the Woods’