Single Molecule Science: Physical Principles and Models

by Dmitrii E. Makarov

Overview

The observation and manipulation of individual molecules is one of the most exciting developments in modern molecular science. Single Molecule Science: Physical Principles and Models provides an introduction to the mathematical tools and physical theories needed to understand, explain, and model single-molecule observations.

This book explains the physical principles underlying the major classes of single-molecule experiments such as fluorescence measurements, force-probe spectroscopy, and nanopore experiments. It provides the framework needed to understand single-molecule phenomena by introducing all the relevant mathematical and physical concepts, and then discussing various approaches to the problem of interpreting single-molecule data.

The essential concepts used throughout this book are explained in the appendices and the text does not assume any background beyond undergraduate chemistry, physics, and calculus. Every effort has been made to keep the presentation self-contained and derive results starting from a limited set of fundamentals, such as several simple models of molecular dynamics and the laws of probability. The result is a book that develops essential concepts in a simple yet rigorous way and in a manner that is accessible to a broad audience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367575717
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dmitrii E. Makarov is a professor of chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a PhD in theoretical physics from the Institute of Chemical Physics in Moscow. His expertise is in theoretical and computational chemical physics and in biophysics.

Table of Contents

A Brief History of Thought and Real Single-Molecule Experiments. How the Properties of Individual Molecules Are Measured. The Kinetics of Chemical Reactions: Single-Molecule Versus "Bulk" View. How Molecules Explore their Energy Landscapes. Microscopic View of the Rate of a Chemical Reaction: A Single-Molecule Perspective. Molecular Transition Paths: Why Going Uphill May Be Faster. Properties of Light Emitted by a Single Molecule and What It Can Tell Us About Molecular Motion. Single-Molecule Mechanics. Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics of Single Molecules: The Jarzynski and Crooks Identities. Single-Molecule Phenomena in Living Systems. Appendix A Probability Theory, Random Numbers and Random Walks. Appendix B Appendix B: Elements of Statistical Mechanics.