6.5
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY (CH)
Interim
Chairperson: Professor David Dixon, Office: 206
Shelby
Hall
The Department of Chemistry offers
programs in the five traditional areas of chemistry (analytical,
biochemistry, inorganic, organic,
and physical) leading to the master of science in chemistry
(Plan I
or Plan II,) as outlined in the
Academic Policies section of this catalog) and the
doctor of philosophy in chemistry. The completion of a master's degree is optional
for students enrolled in the PhD program.
Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting the general
requirements of the
Graduate School, entering graduate students should have completed, with an average grade of "B"
or better, undergraduate coursework equivalent to a major in chemistry. Applicants
may qualify for regular or conditional admission. To be considered for regular admission,
an applicant must have a verbal and quantitative score of at least 1000 on the general
test of the Graduate Record Examination or a score at the 50th percentile on the Miller
Analogies Test.
An applicant whose credentials do
not meet the requirements for regular admission may be considered for conditional
admission if the applicant has a grade point average of 2.5 overall and an acceptable
score on the appropriate admission examination. An applicant
may be considered for conditional admission if he or she meets either the
3.0 GPA requirement for regular admission or the entrance examination requirement
for regular admission. A student admitted conditionally must remove any undergraduate
deficiencies during the first year of graduate study and must remove the condition
by earning an average of "B" or better in the first 12 hours of graduate-level work.
Diagnostic examinations covering
the traditional areas of chemistry are required of all entering graduate students.
These examinations are given a few days prior to registration for the first semester
so that the results may be used by the departmental graduate committee in planning
the student's coursework for the first year.
See the
Admission Criteria section of this catalog for more
information.
Degree Requirements
The requirements for the MS in chemistry are the same as the
Graduate
School's general requirements. The PhD degree requirements also follow
the policies in the Graduate Catalog. The comprehensive examination usually consists of a number of written
cumulative examinations plus the oral defense of an original research proposal.
In addition, acceptable literature and research seminars must be presented to the
chemistry faculty and graduate students. The PhD student's research performance
is evaluated by his or her research advisor with concurrence of the student's dissertation
committee. Normally, the student is expected to be an author or coauthor of at least
one publication in a refereed scientific journal prior to the awarding of the degree.
The
PhD Plan of Study
is available at the Graduate
School website. All doctoral students must have a completed Plan of
Study approved by the Graduate School no later than the semester
during which the student will complete 30 semester hours of UA
and/or transfer credit for the doctoral degree. Otherwise, a “hold”
may be placed on future registrations.
A department-approved
Admission to Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree is submitted
to the Graduate School as soon as possible after passing the
comprehensive (preliminary) examination. See the online
Graduate Catalog
Degree Requirements
section for details on Plan of Study, Admission to Candidacy, and
all other degree requirements.
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance for graduate
students in chemistry is available through fellowships, graduate teaching assistantships,
and graduate research assistantships.
Course Descriptions: Analytical
Chemistry
CH 521 Introduction to Graduate Analytical Chemistry. Three
hours.
Generally, this course is for entering students whose undergraduate
training in analytical chemistry is insufficient.
CH 524 Advanced Analytical Chemistry I: Spectroscopic Methods of
Analysis. Three hours.
Provides graduate students with knowledge of the fundamental aspects
of various modern methods of spectroscopic analysis. Reference to
analytical applications and experimental methods is made, where
relevant.
CH 525 Advanced Analytical Chemistry II: Chromatography.
Three hours.
Incorporates both a theoretical and a practical component. The
separations theory will be developed and applied to gas
chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography/planar
chromatography. Hyphenated techniques are emphasized. Students must
master a GC/MS tutorial and carry out a project on analysis of an
unknown.
CH 526 Chemometrics. Three hours.
Chemometrics involves the application of statistical and
mathematical methods to chemistry. Areas of emphasis will be data
and error analysis, calibration, experimental design, signal
processing and transform procedures, and data description and
enhancement.
CH 621/ CH 622 Current Trends in Analytical Chemistry. Three
hours.
CH 625 Electrochemistry. Three hours
Introduces the fundamentals of
electrochemistry and their applications to chemical engineering
problems. Special emphasis will be given to the study of
electrochemical methods, electrode reaction mechanisms and the
interpretation of electrochemical results for organic and inorganic
systems.
CH 626 Surface Analytical Techniques. Three hours.
Introduces the student to the instrumentation and techniques used to
study surfaces and interfaces. Spectroscopic, microscopic,
desorption, and vacuum techniques are covered.
CH 627 Mass Spectrometry. Three hours.
Deals with all areas of mass spectrometry (MS), including single and
multiple stage MS and chromatography/MS. The emphasis is on
fundamental principles and instrumentation, as well as applications
and data interpretation.
Course Descriptions: Biochemistry
CH 561 Biochemistry I. Three hours.
First-semester course in basic biochemistry. Structure and
properties of biological molecules, including proteins, DNA, RNA,
carbohydrates, lipids, and enzyme cofactors and prosthetic groups.
Introduction to intermediary metabolism and glycolysis. Offered fall
semester.
CH 562 Biochemistry II. Three hours.
Continuation of basic one-year course in biochemistry. Intermediary
metabolism, TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and catabolism of
biomolecules. Biosynthesis of amino acids, nucleotides,
carbohydrates, and lipids. DNA and RNA replication, with
introduction to recombinant technology. Protein biosynthesis and
membrane transport. Offered spring semester.
CH 563 Biochemistry Laboratory. Three hours.
One lecture and one six-hour laboratory. Biochemical techniques
within the structure of a semester-long research project. Topics
include protein purification and chromatography, spectroscopy,
electrophoresis, kinetics, and DNA manipulation.
CH 564 Advanced Biophysical Chemistry. Three hours.
The study of physical techniques applied to the development and
experimental verification of biochemical hypotheses. Examples
include forms of spectroscopy, treatment of multiple equilibria, and
enzyme kinetics. Examples of applications are drawn from such areas
as oxygen transport, oxidative phosphorylation, and photosynthesis.
CH 565 Advanced Bio-Inorganic Chemistry. Three hours.
Study of current knowledge on the roles of metal ions in biological
systems, including structural and catalytic functions. Topics
include bio-coordination chemistry, spectroscopic and magnetic
methods, and kinetics.
CH 566 Advanced Bio-Organic Chemistry. Three hours.
Application of organic chemical concepts to biochemical systems.
Topics include enzyme mechanisms at the molecular level, the
chemistry of biomolecules including nucleic acids, peptides, and
saccharides, and the development of chemical methods for the
manipulation of biochemical systems.
Course Descriptions: Inorganic Chemistry
CH 501 Introduction to Graduate Inorganic Chemistry. Three
hours. Three lectures.
Generally, this course is for entering graduate students whose
undergraduate training in inorganic chemistry is insufficient.
CH 601 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I: Structural Methods in
Inorganic Chemistry. Three hours.
CH 602 Chemistry of Coordination Compounds. Three hours.
Three lectures.
CH 603 Chemistry of the Solid State. Three hours. Three
lectures.
CH 604 Chemistry of the Main Group Elements. Three hours.
Three lectures.
CH 605 Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry. Three hours.
Three lectures.
CH 606 X-Ray Crystallography. Three hours. Three lectures.
CH 609 Organometallic Chemistry. Three hours.
CH 611 Inclusion and Molecular Recognition. Three hours.
Three lectures.
Course Descriptions: Organic Chemistry
CH 530 Introduction to Graduate Organic Chemistry. Three
hours. Three lectures.
Generally, this course is for entering graduate students whose
undergraduate training in organic chemistry is insufficient.
CH 531 Advanced Organic Chemistry I: Physical Organic. Three
hours.
Theory and mechanism of organic transformations, detailed evaluation
of organic structure, molecular dynamics, molecular orbital
interactions, molecular symmetry, sterochemistry of reactions, and
energetics of reaction paths.
CH 532 Advanced Organic Chemistry II: Advanced Synthesis.
Three hours.
Fundamentals of organic transformations and advanced synthetic
methodology with application to the synthesis of complex organic
structures.
CH 566 Advanced Bio-Organic Chemistry. Three hours.
Application of organic chemical concepts to biochemical systems;
enzymatic mechanisms; chemistry and biochemistry of nucleic acids,
peptides, and saccharides.
CH 609 Organometallic Chemistry. Three hours.
Structure, bonding, and reactivity of organotransition metallic
compounds, mechanisms of transformations and fundamental reaction
types, applications to catalysis and organic synthesis.
CH 635 Selected Topics in Organic Chemistry. Three hours.
CH 637 Spectroscopic Techniques in Organic Chemistry. Three
hours.
Fundamentals of spectroscopic techniques for structure determination
of organic molecules. Theory and application of IR, NMR, and MS in
organic chemistry.
Course Descriptions: Physical Chemistry
CH 540 Introduction to Graduate Physical Chemistry. Three
hours. Three lectures.
Generally, this course is for entering graduate students whose
undergraduate training in physical chemistry is insufficient.
CH 541 Advanced Physical Chemistry I: Kinetics and Statistical
Thermodynamics. Three hours. Three lectures.
Prerequisite: CH 540 or equivalent.
CH 549 Advanced Physical Chemistry II: Atomic and Molecular
Structure. Three hours.
CH 643 Quantum Mechanics. Three hours.
CH 645 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry. Three hours.
Course Descriptions: Miscellaneous
CH 570 Research Techniques
Chemistry. One to six hours.
CH 585/CH 586 Chemistry Seminars. Two hours.
CH 599 Thesis Research. Credit to be arranged.
CH 660 Advanced Research
Techniques. One to six hours.
CH 680 Initial Research Review.
One hour.
CH 681 Original Research Proposal.
One hour.
CH 699 Dissertation Research. Credit to be arranged. Three-hour
minimum.
|