Biothermodynamics 1200-2SPEC82M

Laws of thermodynamics (entropy and its statistical interpretation, typical errors in interpretation, so-called, thermodynamic paradoxes related to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics).

Helmholtz potential, Gibbs potential, chemical potential (transport phenomena – diffusion, diffusion through (semi-permeable) membrane /membrane, osmosis)

Thermodynamical description of (bio)chemical reactions (“direction” of reaction, chemical equilibrium, peculiar character of biochemical reactions, typical interpretative errors, Marcus theory in biochemical systems).

Open biochemical systems (laws of thermodynamics in biological systems, interpretation of entropy in aspect of working).

Bioenergetics.

Non-equilibrium systems (stationary state, conjugated processes, dissipation of energy, Prigogine’s rule of minimum entropy production).

Fluctuations and dissipative structures, biological oscillations, selforganizing and evolution, thermodynamic aspects of biological evolution).

Elements of information theory. Elements of theory of deterministic chaos. Use of chaos theory together with thermodynamics of nonequilibrium processes for attempt of explanation of ontogenesis of some diseases (e.g. cancer, Alzheimer or Parkinson disease).

Examples of thermodynamic modeling (simulation) of biochemical systems (from biotechnology)(e.g. systems with enzymatic catalysis).