degradation of red blood cells and the electromagnetic spectrum laura hickman iclcs 7.15.09 ©2011...

Degradation of Red Blood Cells and the Electromagnetic

SpectrumLaura HickmanICLCS 7.15.09©2011 University of Illinois Board of

Trustees • http://islcs.ncsa.illinois.edu/copyright

Key Chemistry Concepts CoveredAbsorption and reflection of light

Ex. We perceive an apple as being red because it reflects red and absorbs other colors

Electromagnetic SpectrumFocus on visible light region

Using WebMO to calculate UV-vis absorption of a biological pigment (bilirubin – from breakdown of red blood cells)

©2011 University of Illinois Board of Trustees • http://islcs.ncsa.illinois.edu/copyright

Other Concepts CoveredUsing a color wheel to figure out

complimentary colors

Predicting the ages of different bruises based on color

Degradation of red blood cells in the body


When to Cover in the Curriculum?Assumes students have basic knowledge of

properties of wavesFrequencyWavelengthDual nature of light (wave and particle)

Helpful if students are familiar with basic biology and have at least heard of red blood cells.

Another module called “Let’s Make Waves” reviews some of the properties of waves and allows students to play around with properties of waves in Microsoft Excel.©2011 University of Illinois Board of

Trustees • http://islcs.ncsa.illinois.edu/copyright

Required Module MaterialsWhy do bruises change colors? Teacher VersionWhy do bruises change colors? Student VersionBruises WebMO Computer Lab Instructions –

Teacher VersionBruises WebMO Computer Lab Instructions –

Student VersionBilirubin_optimization.txt (already optimized text

file)Computers with WebMO, JAVA, Internet access


Optional Module MaterialsThese materials are for teachers who want a

step-by-step review for themselves on how to import and optimize a molecule in WebMO. This would probably take too long for students to do.

Bruises – Practice Importing and Optimizing Bilirubin (in WebMO)

Bilirubin_ChEBI_16990.mol (not yet optimized mol file)


Some larger goalsInterdisciplinary

questions focus on chemistry concepts but content integrates biology / biochemistry

Stand-alone module or labHyperlinks to direct students to words they may not

knowAll information to complete module is contained in

module but could be edited downGet students used to working with terms they

don’t knowCommon in medical field and in standardized

testingRealize that you may not have heard the terms

before, but the basic concepts you do know can guide you to the right answers (picking out the necessary information)


Now let’s explore the module…


QuestionsWhere in your curriculum do you usually teach

this material?

What exercises do you normally do?

What type of students do you think this might be useful for?

Is the material too advanced? Could it be cut down?

What do your assessments and test questions usually look like for this material?


degradation of red blood cells and the electromagnetic spectrum laura hickman iclcs 7.15.09 ©2011...

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