Chemistry and Life Science

About us

The Chemistry and Life Science Department is consisted of nine laboratories. We focus on biologically active natural products and the functional components derived from food and natural products, particularly their structure elucidation, quantitative analysis, nutritional and physiological functions.

 

Targets of our education and research are biochemical understanding of biomolecules; proteins; fats; carbohydrates; nucleic acids; vitamins; natural toxins; and drugs. Students learn biological and chemical approaches, e.g. biochemical experiments, genetic analysis, cell culture experiments, animal experiments, organic synthesis, and detailed structural analysis using analytical instruments like nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer and mass spectrometer.

First and second year programs are consisted with interdisciplinary education and specialized education, and provided in Kawauchi-Kita Campus. The objective of interdisciplinary education is to provide fundamental knowledge like chemistry, physics, and biology. Specialized education brings about an advance in knowledge of physical chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, microbiology, nutritional chemistry, biochemistry, enzyme chemistry, and food chemistry. Third year program provides more specialized lectures and students experiment at Aobayama Campus. Student experiments aim to learn fundamental experimental skills, which is required for graduation thesis research. Contents of student experiment include lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, gene testing, nutrition (animal experiment), enzyme, microorganism, organic synthesis and instrumental analysis. Senior students belong to each laboratory and concentrate their research issues for graduation thesis.