CHEM-440/540-ptbuckley-2026-01-20-01-16-54
Below is a syllabus template that includes WSU's required syllabus elements. Please complete all items highlighted in yellow.
Title of Course [X-ray Crystallography and Structural Biology]
Prefix and Number [CHEM 430/530
Semester and Year [tbd]
Number of Credit Hours [3]
Prerequisites [CHEM 101 and 102 with a C or better, or Chem 105 and 106 with a C or better for CHEM 440. For CHEM 540, current standing as a graduate student.An integrated physical, chemical and biochemical foundation for modern X-ray diffraction tools and techniques, and their application to structural biology.
Course Details
Day and Time: [tbd]
Meeting Location: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor Name: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information: [office location, phone, email] [tbd]
Instructor Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
TA Name: [tbd]
TA Contact Information: [office location, phone, email]: [tbd]
TA Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
Course Description
[An integrated physical, chemical and biochemical foundation for modern X-ray diffraction tools and techniques, and their application to structural biology.]
Course Materials
Books: [Crystallography Made Crystal Clear: A Guide for Users of Macromolecular Models Von G. Rhodes. Academic Press, New York, 1993. 202 S., ISBN 0-12-587075-2. Approximately $40]
Other Materials: [ Recommended: X-Ray Structure Determination: A Practical Guide, 2nd Edition
George H. Stout, Lyle H. Jensen ISBN: 978-0-471-60711-3, approximately $47]
Fees: [insert]
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Course Learning Outcomes (students will be able to:) |
Activities Supporting the Learning Outcomes | Assessment of the Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Develop an understanding of physical chemistry of powder diffraction, single crystal diffraction, structural chemistry / biology, mineralogy, ceramics and material sciences |
Class meetings, homework assignments. | Exams, quizzes, homework, oral reports |
| Be familiar with modern experimental methods used to study diffraction. | Class meetings, homework assignments. | Exams, quizzes, homework, oral reports |
|
Apply principles of diffraction to bio/chemical materials and related measuring tools and techniques. |
Class meetings, homework assignments. |
Exams, quizzes, homework, oral reports |
|
Understand diffraction principles and related equations that critically interpret the results of the diffraction experiments. |
Class meetings, homework assignments. |
Exams, quizzes, homework, oral reports |
| Dates | Lesson Topic | Assignment | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
X-ray sources, Crystal systems and Bravais lattices |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 2 [dates] |
Molecular and crystallographic systems | Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 3 [dates] |
Powder diffraction (PXRD) vs single crystal diffraction (SCXRD) |
Homework Sets | xam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 4 [dates] |
Concepts of 1D-, 2D- and 3D-symmetry and symmetry elements |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 5 [dates] |
Plane groups, Space groups and 3D lattice, Point group symmetry, Ceramics |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 6 [dates] |
Diffraction of X-rays (powder and single crystal), Bragg’s law, reciprocal lattice, Miller indices, linear density/planar density, ceramic structures |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 7 [dates] |
Crystal growth, Data collection, Interpretation of intensity data. | Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 8 [dates] |
Structure factors, Fourier synthesis, Data Collection and Processing, Phase problems. |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 9 [dates] |
Probability methods, Patterson methods, Direct methods, Heavy atom methods | Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 10 [dates] |
Refinement by the least square method |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 11 [dates] |
Disordered structures and Interactions |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 12 [dates] |
Structural Biology, Protein Data Bank (PDB) |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 13 [dates] |
Molecular dynamics method |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 14 [dates] |
Molecular dynamics method Macromolecular structure / function and drug design |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
| Week 15 [dates] |
Molecular docking methods, Algorithms for Structure prediction |
Homework Sets | Exam, quizzes, and oral report |
Expectations for Student Effort
[Describe how much time students should expect to invest in the course each week. Graduate courses should state: "For each hour of lecture equivalent, students should expect to have a minimum of two hours of work outside of class." Note that Global campus courses will automatically include credit hour equivalents in the syllabus.]
- As per WSU academic regulation 27, “Academic credit is a measure of the total minimum time commitment required of a typical student in a specific course. For the WSU semester system one semester credit is assigned for a minimum of 45 hours. Achievement of course goals may require more than the minimum time commitment.” This guideline includes time spent in class.
- This guideline essentially states that a student can be reasonably expected to spend two hours outside of class on assignments for every one hour spent in class, or six hours per week outside of class for a three-credit course such as this. This is approximately the amount of time you should expect to spend on viewing pre-class videos, reading the textbook, and doing assigned problem-solving exercises.
Grading [add more lines if necessary]
| Type of Assignment (tests, papers, etc) | Points | Percent of Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Final Exam | [100] | [50] |
| Homework (440 only | [50] | [25] |
| Quizzes (440 only) | 50 | 25 |
| Oral Report (540 only) | 100 | 50 |
| Grade | Percent | Grade | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
100-90 |
C | 57-50 |
| A- | 89-84 | C- | 49-44 |
| B+ | 83-78 | D+ | 43-38 |
| B | 77-70 | D | 37-30 |
| B- | 69-64 | F | 29-0 |
| C+ | 63-58 |
[Provide information about how grades will be rounded (eg, if 89% earns a B+ and 90% earns an A-, what grade is given to a student with an 89.5?]
Attendance and Make-Up Policy
[Provide details on how attendance affects final course grades. Indicate whether and how missed exams, laboratory sessions, etc. can be made up. Sample attendance statement: “Students should make all reasonable efforts to attend all class meetings. However, in the event a student is unable to attend a class, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor as soon as possible, explain the reason for the absence (and provide documentation, if appropriate), and make up class work missed within a reasonable amount of time, if allowed. Missing class meetings may result in reducing the overall grade in the class.” ]
[All the material necessary for success in this course will be presented in lecture therefore you are strongly encouraged to attend all lectures. If you miss a lecture, see the course instructor as soon as possible. If you miss more than three lectures without any specific reason, the one step lower letter grade will be assigned.]
Academic Integrity Statement
You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat in your work in this class you will:
-[The sanction can range from receiving a score of zero for the assignment to failing the course. ]
-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards
-Have the right to appeal my decision
-Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished
If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.
If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of the decision.