Online courses directory (190)

Physical Chemistry II is quite different from Physical Chemistry I.  In this second semester of the Physical Chemistry course, you will study the principles and laws of quantum mechanics as well as the interaction between matter and electromagnetic waves.  During the late 19th century and early 20th century, scientists opened new frontiers in the understanding of matter at the molecular, atomic, and sub-atomic scale.  These studies resulted in the development of quantum physics, which nowadays is still considered one of the greatest achievements of human mind.  While present day quantum physics “zooms in” to look at subatomic particles, quantum chemistry “zooms out” to look at large molecular systems in order to theoretically understand their physical and chemical properties.  Quantum chemistry has created certain “tools” (or computational methods) based on the laws of quantum mechanics that make it theoretically possible to understand how electrons and atomic nuclei interact with each other…

Inorganic chemistry is a division of chemistry that studies metals, their compounds, and their reactivity.  Metal atoms can be bound to other metal atoms in alloys or metal clusters, to nonmetal elements in crystalline rocks, or to small organic molecules, such as a cyclopentadienyl anion in ferrocene.  These metal atoms can also be part of large biological molecules, as in the case of iron in hemoglobin (oxygen-carrier protein in the blood). In this course, you should not think of metals as you encounter them in your daily life (i.e., when you pick up a steel knife, a can of soda, or a gold necklace).  Instead, you should think of a metal as the central atom or ion in a molecule surrounded by other ions or small molecules called ligands.  Depending on what these ligands are, the metal-containing compound can acquire very different physical and chemical properties.  For example, when magnesium (in its ionic state) is bound to carbonate ions, it forms solid crystalline rocks, as in the dolomite rocks (c…

Analytical chemistry is the branch of chemistry dealing with measurement, both qualitative and quantitative.  This discipline is also concerned with the chemical composition of samples.  In the field, analytical chemistry is applied when detecting the presence and determining the quantities of chemical compounds, such as lead in water samples or arsenic in tissue samples.  It also encompasses many different spectrochemical techniques, all of which are used under various experimental conditions.  This branch of chemistry teaches the general theories behind the use of each instrument as well analysis of experimental data. This course begins with a review of general chemistry and an introduction to analytical terminology.  You will learn terms relevant to the process of measuring chemical compounds, such as sensitivity and detection limit.  The course continues with a unit on common spectrochemical methods, followed by an extension of these methods in a unit on atomic spectroscopy.  These methods allow…

Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes and compounds, such as cellular makeup, that bring about life in organisms.  It is a combination of multiple science fields; you can think of it as general and cell biology coupled with organic and general chemistry.  Although living organisms are very complex, from a molecular view, the material that constitutes “life” can be broken down into remarkably simple molecules, much like the breakdown of our English language to the English alphabet.  Although there exists thousands upon thousands of molecules, they all breakdown into four core components: nucleic acids, amino acids, lipids, and carbohydrates.  As we can make hundreds of thousands of words from just 26 letters, we can make thousands of different biomolecules from those 4 components.  For example, the human genome, containing the necessary information to create a human being, is really just one very long strand of 4 different nucleotides. This course is structured around that approach, so…

Remember that organic chemistry is the discipline that studies the properties and reactions of organic, carbon-based compounds.  This course is intended to be taken after the first two semesters of organic chemistry.  Many of the topics within this outline have been covered in the first two semesters of organic chemistry; however, this course will explore these topics in much greater depth.  It is important to make sure that you have a good grasp of the concepts from earlier organic chemistry courses before moving on to this course. We begin by studying a unit on ylides, benzyne, and free radicals.  Many free radicals affect life processes.  For example, oxygen-derived radicals may be overproduced in cells, such as white blood cells that try to defend against infection in a living organism.  In the first unit, you will learn about free radicals, including oxygen-containing compounds.  Afterward we move into a comprehensive examination of stereochemistry, as well as the kinetics of substitution and el…

Advanced Inorganic Chemistry is designed to give you the knowledge to explain everyday phenomena of inorganic complexes. You will study the various aspects of their physical and chemical properties and learn how to determine the practical applications that these complexes can have in industrial, analytical, and medicinal chemistry. This course will begin with the discussion of symmetry and point group theory and its applications in the field of vibrational spectroscopy. We will then study molecular orbital (MO) theory specifically applied to metal organic complexes. MO theory will be critical in understanding the following: 1) the relative position of ligands in the spectrochemical series, 2) the electronic transitions and related selection rules, and 3) the application of spectroscopy of metals. The course will then move onto the study of the oxidation states of transition metals and their redox properties. A firm grasp of the chemical redox properties of transition metals is critical to understanding thei…

This course will teach you the important role that metal ions play in key biological processes.  You will learn that many biological functions are performed at the cellular level by metal ions that are incorporated into the activation sites of proteins and enzymes.  For example, when oxygen is transported through blood in the human body, it is bound to iron ions that are incorporated into the hemoglobin protein.  In order to function properly, these iron ions must be high-spin and in their +2 oxidation state.  As you progress through this course, you will learn about these and other requirements and mechanisms that must be present in order to facilitate critical biological functions. You will begin this course by reviewing the basic principles of inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology.  Following a brief overview of the spectroscopy methods that scientists use in the study of metals that contain protein, you will explore the structures of the most relevant metal centers in biological…

Bioorganic chemistry studies the chemistry of organic biomolecules.  It is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that combines organic chemistry and biochemistry.  Please recall that organic chemistry investigates all molecules that contain carbon and hydrogen, and biochemistry focuses on the network of molecular pathways in the cell.  Bioorganic chemistry employs organic chemistry to explain how enzymes catalyze the reactions of metabolic pathways and why metabolites react the way they do.  Bioorganic chemistry aims to expand organic-chemical research on structures, synthesis, and kinetics in a biological direction. This one-semester course will cover several advanced chemistry topics and will discuss the chemistry behind biological processes.  The course begins by introducing you to the mechanisms behind the most common biological chemical reactions (Unit 1).  You will then take a closer look at the metabolic processes of biomolecules.  You will apply your knowledge of the structural feature…

Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation.  Molecules respond to different types of radiation in different ways, depending on the frequency (?) or wavelength (?) of the radiation.  In General Chemistry, we studied spectroscopy as a tool for explaining the quantum mechanical model of the atom.  In that course, we learned that light is an electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength that is visible to the human eye.  We also learned that light, which exists in tiny “packets” called photons, exhibits properties of both waves and particles, a characteristic referred to as the wave-particle duality.  The quantized relationship is defined as E = hv, where E is energy, h is Plank’s constant, and v is frequency. Spectroscopy and spectrometry are often used in chemistry for the identification of substances through the spectrum from which they are emitted or by which they are absorbed.  The type of spectroscopic technique is defined by the type of radia…

Two fundamental aspects of chemistry are, firstly, the structure of the atom and the role of the subatomic particles neutrons, protons and electrons, and, secondly, the atomic structure of the known elements that make up everything and how their place in the Periodic table of the elements determines their chemical properties. This free online course will give learners a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of these two core building blocks within chemistry. The course starts by examining the structure of the atom and subatomic particles, and then discusses the elements, and breaks them down into their subatomic structure of protons, neutrons and electrons. You will learn how the structure of each element determines its place in the Periodic table and its chemical properties. This course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand what the world around us is made up of.<br />

Gases behave differently from either solids or liquids, so there are different methods for understanding their behaviour. Having neither fixed volume nor shape gases are moulded entirely by the container in which they are held and from this it is possible to measure their behaviour by measuring properties such as pressure, volume, temperature and number of molecules. This free online chemistry course will introduce the concept of the ideal gas and the ideal gas law which is a good indicator of the behaviour of gases under many different conditions. The various components in the ideal gas law are explained in clear terms and you will see that by using equations you will understand how the impact of a change to one property, for example temperature, will impact on the other properties. Where there are multiple gases in a container you will be shown how to work out their partial pressure relative to the total pressure. This free online chemistry course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, and to the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand how gases behave.<br />

A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that bind together using chemical bonds. They may be from one or multiple elements and it is the ratio, or mass composition, of each molecule that gives the molecular compound its chemical characteristics. In this free online science course, you will learn about molecules and how they are composed of various elements, in mass, atoms and ratios. The course introduces the student to Avogadro’s number or the Mole, which is used to convert between atomic mass and grams, so that you will be able to work out ratios and weights of molecules. You will also learn how to balance chemical equations, and by balancing the reactants within equations, get viable chemical reactions. This branch of chemistry is known as Stoichiometry. The course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand how atoms form the molecules which make up all the material surrounding us. <br />

Matter exists in four states - solid, liquid, gas and plasma and it will change state depending on the temperature and pressure applied to the matter. In this free online chemistry course about states of matter you will learn about the characteristics of each of the four states and the amount of energy that can be added to or taken from a substance before it starts to change state. As all substances change state at different temperatures and pressures you will learn how to use phase change diagrams to plot the energy and pressure levels, the triple point, critical temperature, boiling and melting points associated with different substances. You will also learn in a step by step manner how to calculate the change in energy needed to move a substance along the state of matter spectrum. This free online chemistry course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn and understand what is happening when matter changes from solid to liquid to gas.<br />

The amount of energy required to change the state of a substance depends on how strong or weak the bonds between the molecules are. For substances with strong bonds at standard temperature and pressure, like diamonds, it is extremely difficult to separate the molecules, whereas substances with weak bonds, like helium, remain in a gaseous form and do not condense into liquid or solid states. In this free online chemistry course you learn more about factors that affect the chemical nature of substances. You will learn why substances changing state can also be affected by mixing substances together. The course explains about using water as a solvent and mixing in different substances to see the effect on the boiling and melting points of the solution. This is followed by step by step examples of working out what the change in boiling or melting point will be based on the amount of solute added. This free online chemistry course will be of great interest to all students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences such as chemistry, physics, biology or geology, or the individual learner who simply wants to learn more about factors that affect the chemical nature of substances.<br />

Get a basic overview of microbiology before exploring advanced topics like bacterial cell morphology, nitrogen fixation and protozoan diseases through this online Education Portal course, Biology 103: Microbiology. Watch our video lessons on STDs, bacterial diseases and foodborne illnesses as you prepare to earn real college credit through the Microbiology Excelsior Exam . Though the subjects covered in these lessons are somewhat intense, our experienced, knowledgeable instructors have kept the videos brief, engaging and easy to follow. You also can benefit from the multiple-choice quizzes and written transcripts that complement each video.

The focus of this guided inquiry laboratory is to foster critical thinking that allows students to design, perform, and interpret experiments. In addition, the student acquires technical skills that are required for further advancement in experimental sciences. Although an ability to collect and analyze data in a quantitative manner is developed, the emphasis of the course is to provide a qualitative understanding of the basic concepts of chemistry. This is accomplished by demonstrating that chemical principles are derived from experimental data. The goal is to provide students both with a more accurate picture of the scientific process and with skills that are relevant to solving real life problems. Course Level: Undergraduate This Work, Chemistry 125/126 - General Chemistry Laboratory 1, by Nancy Kerner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

CHEM 216 builds on the experimental approach started in CHEM 211. Students participate in planning exactly what they are going to do in the laboratory by being given general goals and directions that have to be adapted to fit the specific project they will be working on. They use microscale equipment, which requires them to develop manual dexterity and care in working in the laboratory. They also evaluate the results of their experiments by checking for identity and purity using various chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. Course Level: Undergraduate This Work, Chemistry 216 - The Synthesis and Characterization of Carbonyl Compounds, by Ginger Shultz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

Organic Chemistry of Macromolecules covers the preparation, reactions, and properties of high molecular weight polymeric materials of both natural and synthetic origin. As a part of this course, U-M students collaboratively created and edited Wikipedia articles. Course Level: Graduate This Work, Chemistry 538 - Organic Chemistry of Macromolecules, by Anne McNeil is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

Physical Organic Chemistry covers the principles of chemical bonding, mechanisms of organic chemical reactions and stereochemistry. The important types of organic reactions are also discussed, with an emphasis on basic principles. As a part of this course, U-M students collaboratively created and edited Wikipedia articles. Student contributions can be found within the Sessions tab. Course Level: Graduate This Work, Chemistry 540 - Physical Organic Chemistry, by Anne McNeil is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

Acid Base Introduction. pH, pOH of Strong Acids and Bases. pH of a Weak Acid. pH of a Weak Base. Conjugate Acids and Bases. pKa and pKb Relationship. Buffers and Hendersen-Hasselbalch. Strong Acid Titration. Weak Acid Titration. Half Equivalence Point. Titration Roundup. Acid Base Titration. Acid Base Introduction. pH, pOH of Strong Acids and Bases. pH of a Weak Acid. pH of a Weak Base. Conjugate Acids and Bases. pKa and pKb Relationship. Buffers and Hendersen-Hasselbalch. Strong Acid Titration. Weak Acid Titration. Half Equivalence Point. Titration Roundup. Acid Base Titration.