This page is under construction.

link to Spring 2000 Special Topics page [biochemistry of nitric oxide (NO)]

Informal Comments on the Spring 2002 course

I've placed some further new links under the "New Links" part of the class web page. Included are four links to marine siderophore sites. Siderophores are organic molecules that are used by organisms to obtain iron from the environment. The structures and modes of action are highly interesting from both organic and inorganic viewpoints. This is a topic that will be covered in more detail next semester in Inorganic I, as well as in a Special Topics course that Gretchen and I will be teaching. Relevant to our current class coverage is a site dedicated to unsaturated fatty acids. It's much more interesting than it might sound. You can, for instance, discover information there about chaulmoogric acid...and more... Also included is a site for basic organic chemistry concepts. It's at present not comprehensive, but you might be interested in taking a look at it. The link is: http://www.gustavus.edu/~bobrien/OrganicII/New_Links.html.

Catalog Description

This course will concern the topic of marine siderophores--compounds that are used by marine organisms to extract essential transition metal ions from their environment. The topic ensures that the course will integrate aspects of biological, organic, and inorganic chemistry. Students will be expected to read and research background information on the topic from the current literature, and lead the overall direction of the group research effort. Students will be responsible for preparing class discussion periods and making presentations on material related to the overall topic. Meetings will be once per week, at a time arranged to be suitable for all participants.