Resources (BCH 462)

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Essentials of Thermodynamics for Biochemists

This is a very short (about 12 pages) review of thermodynamics, starting with the two primary laws of thermodynamics and showing how the major relationships that we use in biochemistry come about.  This includes the relationships involved in calculating free energies of reactions, equilibrium constants, pH relationships, redox reaction thermodynamics and membrane potential thermodynamics.  Most of this should be a review from courses like CHM341, but here it is presented in a very condensed and narrative way and focuses only on relationships important to biochemistry.

 

Membrane Potential Calculations

The one topic in thermodynamics above you have probably not seen before is the thermodynamics of membrane potentials.  This document briefly explains some of the conventions normally used in making such calculations and it goes through a variety of example calculations to help you understand the process.