Physical Chemistry: How Chemistry Works

Much of chemistry is motivated by asking How ? How do I make a primary alcohol? React a Grignard reagent with formaldehyde. Physical chemistry is motivated by asking Why ? The Grignard reagent and formaldehyde follow a molecular dance known as a reaction mechanism in which stronger bonds are made at the expense of weaker bonds. If you are interested in asking why and not just how , then you need to understand physical chemistry.

Physical Chemistry: How Chemistry Works takes a fresh approach to teaching in physical chemistry. This modern textbook is designed to excite and engage undergraduate chemistry students and prepare them for how they will employ physical chemistry in real life. The student–friendly approach and practical, contemporary examples facilitate an understanding of the physical chemical aspects of any system, allowing students of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry and biochemistry to be fluent in the essentials of physical chemistry in order to understand synthesis, intermolecular interactions and materials properties. For students who are deeply interested in the subject of physical chemistry, the textbook facilitates further study by connecting them to the frontiers of research.

Provides students with the physical and mathematical machinery to understand the physical chemical aspects of any system.
Integrates regular examples drawn from the literature, from contemporary issues and research, to engage students with relevant and illustrative details.
Important topics are introduced and returned to in later chapters: key concepts are reinforced and discussed in more depth as students acquire more tools.
Chapters begin with a preview of important concepts and conclude with a summary of important equations.
Each chapter includes worked examples and exercises: discussion questions, simple equation manipulation questions, and problem–solving exercises.
Accompanied by supplementary online material: worked examples for students and a solutions manual for instructors.
Written by an experienced instructor, researcher and author in physical chemistry, with a voice and perspective that is pedagogical and engaging.

Preface

About the companion website

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2 Statistical Mechanics

Chapter 3 Ideal Gases

Chapter 4 Non–Ideal Gases and Intermolecular Interactions

Chapter 5 Liquids, Liquid Crystals and Ionic Liquids

Chapter 6 Solids, Nanoparticles and Interfaces

Chapter 7 First Law of Thermodynamics

Chapter 8 Second Law of Thermodynamics

Chapter 9 Third Law of Thermodynamics and Temperature Dependence of Heat Capacity, Enthalpy and Entropy

Chapter 10 Thermochemistry The Role of Heat in Chemical and Physical Changes

Chapter 11 Chemical Equilibrium

Chapter 12 Phase Stability and Phase Transitions

Chapter 13 Solutions and Mixtures: Nonelectrolytes

Chapter 14 Solutions of Electrolytes

Chapter 15 Electrochemistry The Chemistry of Free Charge Exchange

Chapter 16 Empirical Chemical Kinetics

Chapter 17 Reaction Dynamics: Mechanisms and Rates

Chapter 18 Complex Reactions Mechanisms Catalysis, Photochemistry and Charge Transfer

Chapter 19 Developing Quantum Mechanical Intuition

Chapter 20 The Quantum Mechanical Description of Nature

Chapter 21 Model Quantum Systems

Chapter 22 Atomic Structure

Chapter 23 Introduction to Spectroscopy and Atomic Spectroscopy

Chapter 24 Molecular Bonding and Structure

Chapter 25 Molecular Spectroscopy & Excited State Dynamics Diatomics

Chapter 26 Polyatomic Molecules and Group Theory

Chapter 27 Light–Matter interactions: Lasers, Laser Spectroscopy and Photodynamics

Appendix 1 Basic Calculus and Trigonometry

Appendix 2. The method of undetermined multipliers

Appendix 3. Stirling′s Theorem

Appendix 4. Density of States of a Particle in a Box

Appendix 5. Blackbody radiation: Treating radiation as a photon gas

Appendix 6. Definitions of symbols used in quantum mechanics and quantum chemistry

Appendix 7 Character Tables

Appendix 8: Periodic behavior

Appendix 9 Thermodynamic Parameters

Index