What is order? Are there materials, processes or systems that are more ordered than other ones? Are chaotic processes unpredictable? How are chaos and order present in cellular life? What are the dimensions of life and of molecular processes? The module tries to give answers to these and related questions through the lenses of thermodynamics and biological chemistry.
In the first part, we discuss important concepts of chemical thermodynamics, such as the laws of thermodynamics, macroscopic and microscopic interpretations of entropy and visit practical examples of how these can be interpreted and measured in a specific system. The second part of the module will focus on important aspects of thermodynamics and entropy in life, how they determine the structure and function of proteins and the inner organisation of cells.