Biopolymers

The chemical structure of biopolymers with emphasis on polysaccharides. Physical dimensions and chain rigidity. Conformations and conformation changes. Molecular weight distribution. Thermodynamic properties og biopolymers with emphasis on polyelectrolytes. Depolymerization: chemistry and kinetics. Theoretical basis and laboratory exercises connected to experimental techniques: Viscosity and intrinsic viscosity, osmosis, light scattering, chromatographic methods.

After completion of this course, the students are expected to:

• Know the structure and properties of important polysaccharides in biotechnology, including the understanding of sequence parameters in alginates.
• Be able to, based on a given chemical structure, understand and predict certain physical properties of a biopolymer, and how these are influenced by external factors (pH, I, T).
• Know the principles behind experimental determination of molecular weight distribution (and its various averages).
• Determine the shape and extention in solution of a biopolymer, based on physical data.
• Use simple methods for depolymerization of polysaccharides: kinetics and reaction mechanisms.

Lectures, theoretical exercises, laboratory work. The course will be given in English if international master students are taking the course.