The course deals with the application of physical chemistry to biological and biochemical processes and problems. It contains the following parts, which the student chooses according to the topic of the dissertation.
Biothermodynamics: energetics of biological processes, Gibbs energy and its significance for the description of biochemical processes, connections with enthalpy and entropy, application to the fate of ATP in the organism, basics of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Kinetics of biological processes: enzyme reactions, denaturation and renaturation of proteins, pharmacokinetics. Non-covalent interactions in biological systems: types of interactions, spatial arrangement of biopolymers, their stability and denaturation, interactions with ligands. Biological membranes: amphiphilic biomolecules, structure and properties of membranes, transport across membranes. Water and hydration: structure and properties of water, water as a biological environment, hydration of biopolymers. Biological polyelectrolytes: dissociation, acid-base properties, effect of pH.