NKEB13008U Crystallography - BSc
BSc Programme in Chemistry
BSc Programme in Biochemistry
Crystallography is the main technique by which the
three-dimensional structures of molecules are determined. One
advantage of crystallography is that similar methods can be used to
determine the structure of molecules ranging in size from just a
few atoms to the size of ribosomal particle (in the MDa range). The
aim of this course is to provide the student with fundamental
knowledge about the crystallographic methods used to determine the
structure of crystalline materials, especially single crystals of
bio-macromolecules and small molecules, covering the main aspects
of chemical and macromolecular crystallography from crystallization
to structure validation. The theoretical knowledge will be
reinforced by exercises, including numerical exercises.
The students will also gain experience in practical aspects of
crystallography, from crystallization to structure determination
and the use of structural databases, through laboratory and
computer-based practical classes. A lot of weight is also given to
training in critical reading and presentation of original articles
where crystallographic methods are used in a variety of
contexts.
Competencies
The students must be able to
- Analyze standard crystallographic data
- Evaluate and discuss the quality of crystallographic data and the derived structural information from literature and scientific databases
Skills
The student must be able to:
- carry out, under guidance, crystallographic experiments and data analysis, such as crystallization, data processing and simple structure determinations, evaluate their results and describe them in writing
- determine crystallographic space groups from diffraction data
- read, critically evaluate and explain original articles in English, where crystallography is used as a main method
- make use of crystal structure databases for structural comparison and to evaluate structure quality
- solve simple quantitative problems in crystallography, e.g. related to diffraction theory
Knowledge
The students must demonstrate knowledge of:
- Crystallization and diffraction theory
- Crystal symmetry
- Crystallographic structure determination methods
- Structure validation
In 2015 we have used the following textbooks – however they may be subject to change so please check with the responsible teacher or on Absalon before buying: W. Massa, Crystal structure determination 2nd edition 2004 (chemical crystallography), Springer-Verlag ISBN: 3-540-20644-2; D. Blow, Outline of Crystallography for Biologists, 2002, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 0-19-851051-9. Additional notes, reviews and articles will be available on Absalon.
The course gives the necessary background to take on a Project outside course scope, BSc or MSc project in crystallography.
It's not possible to take this course if you already have taken Crystallography-MSc.
- Category
- Hours
- Colloquia
- 8
- Exam
- 1
- Excursions
- 6
- Guidance
- 3
- Lectures
- 22
- Practical exercises
- 18
- Preparation
- 138
- Theory exercises
- 10
- Total
- 206
As
an exchange, guest and credit student - click here!
Continuing Education - click here!
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 20-30 minStudents are allowed to look briefly (2 mins) at short lists of key points they may have prepared at home before they start their answering (see section on aids). No other preparation time is allowed.
- Exam registration requirements
The students must have actively participated in the practical classes (80% compulsory attendance) and written in groups short reports satisfactorily describing the results from their experiments. Additionally the students must have satisfactorily individually presented 1-2 original articles and completed up to 5 short written exercise assignments during the course.
- Aid
- Only certain aids allowed
The students are allowed to look briefly at short lists of key points they may have prepared at home, once they find out what main topics are to be covered in their oral examination (lottery drawn). They are also allowed to look up information in appropriate tables in the textbooks or International tables provided at the oral exam. No other aids are allowed.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
several internal examiners
- Re-exam
Re-examination takes the same form of the ordinary exam.
All compulsory written assignments must be handed in. If the student has not participated in compulsory article presentation, a powerpoint must be handed in. If the student has not participated in 80% of practical classes, completion of 80% of the practical work will have to be carried out as self-study. Only minimal supervision can be expected and only when justified by safety considerations.
Criteria for exam assesment
See 'learning outcome'
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NKEB13008U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Bachelor
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 2
- Schedule
- CA few hours of the course may be scheduled outside group C after agreement with the students
- Course capacity
- 15
- Continuing and further education
- Study board
- Study Board of Physics, Chemistry and Nanoscience
Contracting department
- Department of Chemistry
Course responsibles
- Leila Lo Leggio (5-6f686c6f6443666b6870316e7831676e)
Lecturers
Leila Lo Leggio, leila@chem.ku.dk
Anders Kadziola, kadziola@chem.ku.dk
Anders Ø. Madsen, madsen@chem.ku.dk