Chemistry 252 » Spring » Full Semester
4 Credits
Physical Chemistry II
Instructor(s): Lewis RothbergPrerequisites: General chemistry (CHM 131/132 or equivalent), first-semester physics (PHY 113 or equivalent) and calculus (MTH 143 or equivalent).
Crosslisting: None.
Course Summary:
This course covers thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and chemical kinetics. These subjects are a fundamental part of our understanding of matter and energy. Thermodynamics is the mathematical theory of heat – it gives rules describing how heat flows, and the relationship between heat and other kinds of energy. Statistical mechanics explains what heat is – it provides an explanation of thermodynamics in terms of the random motion of molecules. Chemical kinetics is the study of the time dependence of chemical reactions. This course uses the Tuesday/Thursday 8:00 - 9:30 am Common Exam time.
This course covers thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and chemical kinetics. These subjects are a fundamental part of our understanding of matter and energy. Thermodynamics is the mathematical theory of heat – it gives rules describing how heat flows, and the relationship between heat and other kinds of energy. Statistical mechanics explains what heat is – it provides an explanation of thermodynamics in terms of the random motion of molecules. Chemical kinetics is the study of the time dependence of chemical reactions. This course uses the Tuesday/Thursday 8:00 - 9:30 am Common Exam time.
Course Topics:
- Properties of Gases
- Microstates and Macrostates. Entropy and Temperature.
- Boltzmann distribution and partition function
- First Law of thermodynamics
- Second Law of thermodynamics
- Enthalpy, Helmholtz and Gibbs Energies
- Phase Equilibrium
- Solutions
- Chemical Equilibrium
- Chemical Kinetics
Required Text:
Donald A. McQuarrie and John D. Simon, Molecular Thermodynamics, University Science Books, 1999
Donald A. McQuarrie and John D. Simon, Molecular Thermodynamics, University Science Books, 1999