BASICS OF CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

Physical quantities and their dynamics: definitions and dimensions; vectors & scalars, displacement, velocity, acceleration, kinematic formulas, angular momentum, torque etc. force, power, work, energy (kinetic & potential/electric charge separation, electromagnetic spectrum, photons etc.); springs & Hookes laws; elastic and inelastic collisions; Newton’s law of motions (centripetal and centrifugal forces etc.); simple harmonic motions, mechanical waves, Doppler effect, wave interference, amplitude, period, frequency & wavelength

Diffusion, dissipation, random walks, and directed motions in biological systems; low Reynolds number - world of Biology, buoyant forces, Bernoulli’s equation, viscosity, turbulence, surface tension, adhesion; laws of thermodynamics: Maxwell Boltzmann distribution, conduction, convection and radiation, internal energy, entropy, temperature and free energy, Maxwell’s demon (entropic forces at work in biology, chemical assemblies, self-assembled systems, role of ATP); Coulomb’s law, conductors and insulators, electric potential energy of charges, nerve impulses, Ohms law (basic electrical quantities: current, voltage & power), electrolyte conductivity, capacitors and capacitance, dielectrics; various machines in biology i.e. enzymes, allostery and molecular motors (molecules to cells and organisms).

Basic constituents of matter - elements, atoms, isotopes, atomic weights, atomic numbers, electronic configuration of atoms, basics of mass spectrometry, molecules, Avogadro number, molarity, gas constant, molecular weights, structural and molecular formulae, ions and polyatomic ions; chemical bonds (ionic, covalent, Van der Walls forces); electronegativity, polarity; VSEPR theory and molecular geometry, dipole moment, orbital hybridizations, Magnetism-Para magnetism and diamagnetism

chemical reactions, reaction stoichiometry, rates of reaction, rate constants, order of reactions, Arrhenious equation, Maxwell Boltzmann distributions, rate-determining steps, catalysis, chemical thermodynamics - internal energy, heat and temperature, enthalpy (bond enthalpy and reaction enthalpy), entropy, Gibbs free energy of ATP driven reactions, spontaneity versus driven reactions in biology; kinetic versus thermodynamic controls of a reaction, reaction equilibrium (equilibrium constant)

states of matter - vapor pressure, phase diagrams, surface tension, boiling and melting points, solubility, capillary action, suspensions, colloids and solutions; acids, bases and pH - Arrhenious theory, pH, ionic product of water, weak acids and bases, conjugate acid-base pairs, buffers and buffering action etc; redox reactions and electrochemistry - oxidation-reduction reactions, standard cell potentials, Nernst equation, resting membrane potentials, bond rotations and molecular conformations - Newman projections, conformational analysis of alkanes, alkenes and alkynes; functional groups, optically asymmetric carbon centers