- Docente: Giovanni Venturoli
- Credits: 6
- SSD: FIS/07
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Molecular and cellular biology (cod. 8021)
Learning outcomes
The course will present the physical bases of the main spectroscopic methods currently used in biological research. Mathematical formalism will be kept to a minimum and specific biological applications will be considered.
Course contents
Introductory notions. Photoelectric effect and the photon theory
of light. Black body radiation. Planck's quantum hypothesis. Wave
nature of matter. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle. General
aspects of the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and a
molecular system. Spectroscopy and spectral regions. UV-visible
absorption spectroscopy. Electronic transitions in biological
molecules. The free electron model of polyenes. Spectrophotometry
in the study of proteins and nucleic acids. Fluorescence
spectroscopy. Energy transfer. FRET. Principles of Raman and
infrared spectroscopy. Introduction to magnetic resonance: NMR and
EPR spectroscopy. Advanced spectroscopic methods: ENDOR,
Moessbauer, time resolved spectroscopies, single molecule
spectroscopy. Simmetry in crystals; the reciprocal lattice.
Diffraction of x-rays from crystals. Experimental methods in X-ray
crystallography. Protein crystallography. X-ray absorption
spectroscopy. Phenomenology. Experimental methods. The near edge
region. The extended energy range spectral region. Examples of
applications to metalloproteins.
Readings/Bibliography
For the introductory part of the course: Douglas C. Giancoli. FISICA. Principi ed Applicazioni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana (Milano).
Reference textbooks: (a) C.R. Cantor, P.R. Schimmel. Biophysical Chemistry. II. Techniques for the study of biological structure and function. W.H. Freeman and Co. (San Francisco); (b) R. Chang, Chimica Fisica, Vol. 2, Zanichelli; (c) C. Giacovazzo, Fundamentals of Crystallography (International Union of Crystallography Monographs on Crystallography), Oxford University Press.
Teaching methods
The course consists of lectures.
Assessment methods
The examination aims to ascertain the attainment of the
following, main didactic objectives: (a) the knowledge of the basic
principles of the spectroscopic methods presented in the lectures;
(b) the knowledge of the potentialities of the handled
spectroscopic approaches in biological and biochemical studies; (c)
the ability of analyzing and discussing spectroscopic results in
the context of the scientific literature in the fields of biology,
biochemistry, and biophysics. The exam consists in the presentation
and discussion of a first argument chosen by the candidate,
followed by a colloquium on arguments treated during the
course.
Teaching tools
All the didactic material used during the lectures is made available to the students in electronic form.
Office hours
See the website of Giovanni Venturoli