Admission requirements
Elective course for MSc Chemistry and MSc Life Science and Technology students.
A BSc degree in Chemistry, Molecular Science and Technology, Life Science and Technology or a related discipline with a good understanding of Organic Chemistry and some affinity with non-covalent interactions.
This course cannot be combined with the 2019-20 course Stereochemistry 4423STRCH in a master's programme.
Description
Are we about to enter a new era in which synthetic molecular-sized machinery will perform useful tasks in our everyday life? We do not know for certain yet, but given the complex and essential tasks carried out by biological machinery, their artificial counterparts have the potential to revolutionize the future in medicine, materials science, and other fields. This course treats the subject of molecular nanotechnology and specifically deals with molecular systems that precisely control and exploit nanoscale motion that is induced by some kind of stimulus. After a general introduction, different types of molecular switches and machines, as well as the functions/tasks they are able to perform, will be discussed. Particular emphasis will be on their use to control lipid bilayer (transmembrane) transport and also other applications, e.g. in catalysis and nanorobotics, will be covered.
Course objectives
At the end of the course the student should be able to:
Identify and assign the different types of stereoisomerism and chirality
Illustrate how (dynamic) isomerization processes are influenced by stimuli
Explain how to control (unidirectional) rotational motion of/within molecules
Rationalize the synthesis and control of motion in mechanically interlocked molecules
Relate the output of a given molecular nanotechnology system or application to its input
Critically evaluate a research paper of choice that is associated with the course subject
Timetable
Schedule information can be found on the website of the programmes.
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
Lectures and tutorials.
Assessment method
Written examination (70%) and 2-page literature essay (30%).
Reading list
References to scientific literature will be provided during the course.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Remarks
According to OER article 4.8, students are entitled to view their marked examination for a period of 30 days following the publication of the results of a written examination. Students should contact the lecturer to make an appointment for such an inspection session.
This course will not be scheduled in 2024-25. Shown above is the course description for 2023-24 as reference. The course is scheduled again for academic year 2025-26.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.