Biomolecular Thermodynamics

"an impressive text that addresses a glaring gap in the teaching of physical chemistry, being specifically focused on biologically-relevant systems along with a practical focus.... the ample problems and tutorials throughout are much appreciated." –Tobin R. Sosnick, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago "Presents both the concepts and equations associated with statistical thermodynamics in a unique way that is at visual, intuitive, and rigorous. This approach will greatly benefit students at all levels." –Vijay S. Pande, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University "a masterful tour de force.... Barrick's rigor and scholarship come through in every chapter." –Rohit V. Pappu, Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis This book provides a comprehensive, contemporary introduction to developing a quantitative understanding of how biological macromolecules behave using classical and statistical thermodynamics. The author focuses on practical skills needed to apply the underlying equations in real life examples. The text develops mechanistic models, showing how they connect to thermodynamic observables, presenting simulations of thermodynamic behavior, and analyzing experimental data. The reader is presented with plenty of exercises and problems to facilitate hands-on learning through mathematical simulation. Douglas E. Barrick is a professor in the Department of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in biophysics and structural biology from the University of Oregon.

"an impressive text that addresses a glaring gap in the teaching of physical chemistry, being specifically focused on biologically-relevant systems along with a practical focus.... the ample problems and tutorials throughout are much appreciated." –Tobin R. Sosnick, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago "Presents both the concepts and equations associated with statistical thermodynamics in a unique way that is at visual, intuitive, and rigorous. This approach will greatly benefit students at all levels." –Vijay S. Pande, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University "a masterful tour de force.... Barrick's rigor and scholarship come through in every chapter." –Rohit V. Pappu, Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis This book provides a comprehensive, contemporary introduction to developing a quantitative understanding of how biological macromolecules behave using classical and statistical thermodynamics. The author focuses on practical skills needed to apply the underlying equations in real life examples. The text develops mechanistic models, showing how they connect to thermodynamic observables, presenting simulations of thermodynamic behavior, and analyzing experimental data. The reader is presented with plenty of exercises and problems to facilitate hands-on learning through mathematical simulation. Douglas E. Barrick is a professor in the Department of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in biophysics and structural biology from the University of Oregon.

This inter-disciplinary guide to the thermodynamics of living organisms has been thoroughly revised and updated to provide a uniquely integrated overview of the subject. Retaining its highly readable style, it will serve as an introduction to the study of energy transformation in the life sciences and particularly as an accessible means for biology, biochemistry and bioengineering undergraduate students to acquaint themselves with the physical dimension of their subject. The emphasis throughout the text is on understanding basic concepts and developing problem-solving skills. The mathematical difficulty increases gradually by chapter, but no calculus is required. Topics covered include energy and its transformation, the First Law of Thermodynamics, Gibbs free energy, statistical thermodynamics, binding equilibria and reaction kinetics. Each chapter comprises numerous illustrative examples taken from different areas of biochemistry, as well as a broad range of exercises and references for further study.

This book covers the fundamentals of the rapidly growing field of biothermodynamics, showing how thermodynamics can best be applied to applications and processes in biochemical engineering. It describes the rigorous application of thermodynamics in biochemical engineering to rationalize bioprocess development and obviate a substantial fraction of this need for tedious experimental work. As such, this book will appeal to a diverse group of readers, ranging from students and professors in biochemical engineering, to scientists and engineers, for whom it will be a valuable reference.

Advanced Spectroscopic Methods to Study Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics presents the latest emerging technologies in spectroscopy and advances in established spectroscopic methods. The book presents a guide to research methods in biomolecular spectroscopy, providing comprehensive coverage of developments in the spectroscopic techniques used to study protein structure and dynamics. Seventeen chapters from leading researchers cover key aspects of spectroscopic methods, with each chapter covering structure, folding, and dynamics. This title will help researchers keep up-to-date on the latest novel methods and advances in established methods. Presents current, emerging, and evolving advances and applications of spectroscopic techniques in the study of biomolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids Discusses contemporary spectroscopic techniques used to study biomolecular structure, interaction, and dynamics

Introduction to Biomolecular Energetics Including Ligand-Receptor Interactions focuses on the concepts of energetics and their biological applications, including the study of ligand-receptor interactions. The book provides quantitative calculations and addresses topics that have become more prominent in the biochemical and related sciences in recent years, including the first and second laws of thermodynamics, the concept of entropy, free energy or chemical potential, group-transfer potential, physicochemical behavior, and enzyme kinetics. This volume is organized into 10 chapters, and it begins with an overview of the scope of energetics and two general approaches to the field: the classical or phenomenological approach and the statistical-molecular approach. The chapters that follow explore the concepts of energy and entropy in the context of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, along with the relationships between work, heat, energy and entropy as an index of exhaustion. The discussion then shifts to the free energy function and general procedures for computing standard free energies. The book also introduces the reader to the fundamental relationship between chemical potential (free energy) and concentration; high-energy bond and the concept of group-transfer potential; the use of thermodynamic methods in the analysis of physicochemical behavior; and statistical thermodynamics. The final chapter examines the number of ligands that are bound by the receptor entity, how strongly the ligands are held, and the molecular nature of the forces of ligand-receptor interaction. This book will be of interest to biologists and those who want to understand the principles of energetics governing biochemical changes.

Thermodynamics was created in the ?rst half of the 19th century as a theory designed to explain the functioning of heat engines converting heat into mechanical work. In the course of time, while the scope of research in this ?eld was being extended to a wider and wider class of energy transformations, thermodynamics came to be considered as a general theory of machines identi?ed with energy transducers. Imp- tant progress in biochemistry in the ?rst half of the 20th century, and in molecular biology in the second half, made it possible to think of treating even living organisms as machines, at least on the subcellular level. However, success in applying thermodynamics to elucidate the phenomenon of life has been rather mitigated. Two reasons seem to be responsible for this unsatisfactory s- uation. Nineteenth century thermodynamics dealt only with simple (homogeneous) systems in complete equilibrium. Although during the 20th century a nonequilibrium thermodynamics was developed, sta- ing with the Onsager theory of linear response and ending with the Prigogine nonlinear theory of dissipative structures, these theories still concern the originally homogeneous systems. Because living organisms are complex systems with a historically frozen spatial and functional structure, a thermodynamics of both nonequilibrium and complex s- tems is needed for their description. The ?rst goal of the present book is to formulate the foundations of such a thermodynamics.

"a gem of a textbook which manages to produce a genuinely fresh, concise yet comprehensive guide" –Mark Leake, University of York "destined to become a standard reference.... Not just a ‘how to’ handbook but also an accessible primer in the essentials of kinetic theory and practice." –Michael Geeves, University of Kent "covers the entire spectrum of approaches, from the traditional steady state methods to a thorough account of transient kinetics and rapid reaction techniques, and then on to the new single molecule techniques" –Stephen Halford, University of Bristol This illustrated treatment explains the methods used for measuring how much a reaction gets speeded up, as well as the framework for solving problems such as ligand binding and macromolecular folding, using the step-by-step approach of numerical integration. It is a thoroughly modern text, reflecting the recent ability to observe reactions at the single-molecule level, as well as advances in microfluidics which have given rise to femtoscale studies. Kinetics is more important now than ever, and this book is a vibrant and approachable entry for anyone who wants to understand mechanism using transient or single molecule kinetics without getting bogged down in advanced mathematics. Clive R. Bagshaw is Emeritus Professor at the University of Leicester, U.K., and Research Associate at the University of California at Santa Cruz, U.S.A.