Popular science lectures

#no

Lecturer

Description of the lecture

Date of presentation

1

"Zła" chemia w sporcie

Małgorzata Czerwicka-Pach, PhD

The lecture will discuss the most commonly used doping methods and basic groups of doping compounds along with the consequences of their use. The basics of the functioning of the World Anti-Doping Agency - WADA and the rules of creating lists of prohibited doping agents will also be presented. The last part of the lecture will be devoted to anti-doping research (procedures, methods of analysis, etc.) and the capabilities and activities of the Polish Anti-Doping Laboratory.

6 March 2020

2

Wiązania chemiczne

Henryk Myszka, PhD, hab.

By forming a chemical bond, atoms strive to obtain a stable electron configuration, similar to that of noble gases. The type of bond between atoms depends on the properties of the elements that form the chemical compound. They can be characterized by electronegativity, which is a conventional measure of the propensity of an atom to attract electrons. In the lecture several basic chemical bonds will be discussed along with metallic and hydrogen bonds.

27 March 2020

3

Jad ślimaków morskich-lek czy trucizna?

Aleksandra Walewska, PhD

Predatory sea slugs (Conus sp.) are found in warm, tropical seas and oceans and are characterized by a great diversity (about 700 species). Snail venom is their main weapon, which they use to capture their prey or self-defense. The venom of each snail is unique and contains about 100 different biologically active compounds (peptides), giving a total of about 70,000 peptide toxins. To date, scientists have identified and described only some of them. The characterized peptides, called conotoxins, were found to have potential therapeutic uses as analgesics and antiepileptic drugs. In this lecture I will present the environment in which these dangerous snails live and hunt for their victims. In addition, I will explain the method of obtaining their venom and isolating peptides. In the next part I will discuss how these unusual hemopeptides work and their use in medicine.

3 April 2020

4

Właściwości fizykochemiczne związków chromu i manganu – kolorowa chemia

Dagmara Jacewicz, PhD, hab., prof. UG

In the lecture, students will get acquainted with the oxidizing-reducing and acid-base properties of chromium and manganese compounds. The degree of oxidation that these elements exhibit in chemical compounds will also be discussed. In the example of the reaction of potassium manganese (VII) with sodium nitrate (III) the effect of environmental pH on the oxidation-reduction reaction will be discussed. We will also note the oxidative properties of chromium(VI) as well as the balance between chromate(VI) and dichromate(VI) ions. The presentation will be illustrated with numerous examples, including photos and animations.

17 April 2020

5

Chemiczna różnorodność roślin

Barbara Dmochowska, PhD

The lecture will be an introduction to the chemical diversity of the plant world around us. Many of them owe their colour to the wide range of dyes they contain. The pleasant smell, and sometimes the smell, is also due to chemical compounds. Man has learned to use the benefits of plant food, which is a rich source of vitamins. It will also turn out that not everything that is of natural origin is healthy. Sometimes plants can be harmful to our body or even poisonous. Plants owe all this to a variety of chemical compounds.

24 April 2020

6

Naturalne i sztuczne substancje słodzące

Andrzej Nowacki, PhD, hab.

The aim of the lecture is to present a wide range of structurally diverse chemicals with a sweet taste. There will be both substances suitable for consumption, widely used in the food industry, but also those which, in addition to the sweet taste, are characterized by significant toxicity.

22 May 2020

7

Zobaczyć niewidoczne

Krzysztof Brzozowski, PhD

Experimentation in teaching chemistry plays a key role. This is always the most interesting part of the class, when you can observe the changing colors of solutions, precipitation of sediments or check the flammability of substances. It is a visual proof of what we learn in class. Very often it is difficult to imagine that the observed changes are caused by particles that we cannot really see with the naked eye. The paradox is that in order to “see” a single molecular system, it is necessary to use large size research apparatus, such as a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a mass spectrometer or a diffractometer used in crystallography. The results obtained in combination with theoretical chemistry, which uses advanced quantum-mechanical calculations or molecular dynamics, allow, among other things: determination of spatial structures of biomolecules, prediction of mechanisms of chemical reactions, elaboration and visualization of obtained results, presentation of molecules and animation of chemical and physical transformations for educational and cognitive purposes.

29 May 2020