Admission requirements
Core course in MSc Chemistry for Sustainability, elective course MSc Chemistry for Health, MSc Life Science and Technology
Students with a BSc in MST with a major in Chemistry/materials or BSc LST with a minor advanced LST are better prepared for the PC course. Other students with an equivalent BSc should have a basic knowledge in quantum chemistry (atomic s, p, d orbitals, molecular orbitals, meaning of the wave function), organic chemistry (covalent bond, pi systems and conjugation), inorganic chemistry (crystal field theory), chemical kinetics (1st and 2nd order rate laws, elementary processes, transition states), steady-state spectroscopy (UV-Vis, IR, NMR, Raman, etc.) and biochemistry (structure of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids).
Description
Photochemistry studies the action of light on molecules. Understanding photochemistry allows for explaining light-driven phenomena occurring in nature such as vision or photosynthesis; to study cells, materials, or chemical reactions by using fluorophores, imaging agents, or time-dependent spectroscopy; and to develop synthetic light-responsive systems for curing diseases or making solar fuels. Photochemistry is governed by quantum chemistry, excited states, and orbitals. It spans 15 orders of magnitude of time scale range, from femtoseconds for photon absorption, to minutes or hours for photoreactions or phosphorescence.
In the PC course, basic photochemistry concepts such as excited state multiplicity, photoreaction, emission quantum efficiency and excited state lifetimes are first explained. Then, a range of different elementary processes that can follow molecule excitation are described, including for example emission, non-radiative relaxation, and a range of photoreactions such as electron transfer, energy transfer, isomerization, and bond cleavage reactions.
Time-dependent spectroscopy is also introduced for the study of photocatalytic and phototherapeutic compounds. We will discuss the fundamental principles behind non-linear spectroscopic techniques (e.g. sum- and difference frequency generation), and use these concepts to explore fast time-resolved techniques which are able to directly measure photochemical processes on timescales from femtoseconds to milliseconds, Both experimental (e.g. lasers and basic optical components) and theoretical concepts (data analysis) are covered. Then, the principles of photoredox catalysis and their application for the sustainable production of solar fuels and artificial photosynthesis are discussed. Finally, the last part of the course is dedicated to the role of photochemistry in biology. This includes a short study of vision, followed by the description of Förster energy transfer probes for the study of biomolecules and biological processes. A special final lecture is dedicated to photodynamic therapy, photoactivated chemotherapy, photopharmacology, and optogenetics, focusing on cancer treatment.
Course objectives
At the end of the course students:
Will be able to explain fundamental principles or photochemistry and to apply them to the contexts of energy & sustainability and chemical biology
Will be able to manipulate the equation describing the kinetics of elementary photochemical processes (photon absorption, transition between excited states, 1st and 2nd order photoreaction, quantum yields)
Will be able to understand principles of nonlinear and time-resolved spectroscopy, and interpret time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopic data
Will be able to propose the Jablonski diagram of a photochemically active compound from the photochemical data provided
Will be able to read and understand scientific articles on photochemistry, and to extract answers to photochemical questions from the graphical and textual data provided in the article
Timetable
Schedule information can be found on the website of the programmes.
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of Instruction
Lectures, paper discussion, and exercise correction (14 sessions), and a computer lab (1 session)
Assessment method
Written examination (100%), also for the retake. A minimum of 5.51 must be obtained to pass the course.
Reading list
The course is based on the slides discussed during the courses, videos of the courses available to all registered students, and exercises and old exams corrected together in class.
The following book is recommended: Vincenzo Balzani, Paola Ceroni, Alberto Juris (2014) Photochemistry and Photophysics, Concepts, Research, Application, Wiley VCH (ISBN: 978-3-527-33479-7).
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Sylvestre Bonnet, Dr. Jaco Geuchies
Remarks
Assignment deadlines are communicated via Brightspace.
According to OER article 4.8, students are entitled to view their marked examination for a period of 30 days following the publication of the results of a written examination. Students should contact the lecturer to make an appointment for such an inspection session.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.