Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester. 

Exchange students and Fulbright students: 15 April for the autumn semester.

Type of course

Admission requirements

Admission requires a Bachelor`s degree (180 ECTS) in Chemistry or equivalent.

Students should have basic knowledge in chemistry (atomic and molecular structure), biochemistry (protein structure), and mathematics (calculus). Basic knowledge in physics (electromagnetic radiation, wave mechanics) is recommended.

Course content

Starting in 1901, and including 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2012, more than 15 scientific Nobel Prizes have substantially advanced or involved X-ray crystallography and its ability to determination the three dimensional structures of molecules of any size at atomic resolution. This reflects the central role crystallography continues to play in revealing the structural origins of molecular properties, enabling practical applications ranging broadly, from semiconductor design to drug discovery.

This course gives students both a theoretical foundation of, and practical experience with, modern crystallography. The content involves both theory and experiment, spanning technologies from the generation of X-rays and crystallization of compounds and macromolecules to the determination and evaluation of their molecular structures. Lectures are accompanied by a one week intensive course in crystallization and a research project designed to complement the student's research interests.

The course will be presented in 3 sections:

(i) Practical and theoretical introduction to methods for the crystallisation of small molecules and biological macromolecules. (3 credits).

(ii) Basic crystallography, diffraction and the measurement and processing of diffraction data. (4 credits).

(iii) Structure determination. (3 credits).

Objectives of the course

The candidate will acquire a solid and broad theoretical and practical basis to understand and perform modern crystallographic structure determination. This will be accompanied by focussed topical studies from a practical lab project in crystallization and an additional project, either experimental or computational, chosen to match specific research interests and goals of the student.

The successful student will:

Knowledge

Fundamentals of crystallography

• Understands the phase problem of crystallography
• Can develop an intuitive understanding of the Fourier transform as applied in crystallography
• Understands the basis of X-ray diffraction based on Bragg's law
• Knows the symmetries and point groups of periodic crystals
• Knows the mathematical relationships between the spatial distribution of electron density, crystal lattices, Miller planes, and experimentally observed diffraction patterns.
• Knows how to evaluate the accuracy of X-ray crystal structure models

Practical structure determination

• Has an overview of the structure determination process from start to finish
• Has an overview of the information required for successful structure solution
• Has acquired experience with relevant software and webservers.

Crystallization

• Has basic knowledge and experience regarding crystallization methods and necessary prerequisites

Skills

• Knows how to set up crystallization experiments
• Is trained to carry out X-ray data collection experiments under supervision.
• Knows the basic principles of a crystallographic structure solution software suite to perform all necessary structure solution steps.
• Has knowledge of key informational and service webservers in crystallography.

General competence

• Has an overview of the entire structure solution process
• Has knowledge of the accuracy and relevance of crystal structures, and how this can be applied in a scientific context
• Can understand and interpret basic crystallographic research results

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

Assessment

Grades based on a final, oral examination. Lettergrades (A-F).

Coursework requirements Admission to the examination requires that the practical parts of the course have been completed and reported satisfactorily.

There will not be arranged a re-sit exam for this course.

Recommended reading/syllabus