610-211 Physical Chemistry

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Objectives:

On completion of 610-211 the student should:

• understand the concepts of the second law of thermodynamics;

• be able to evaluate and make appropriate use of entropy and free energy for systems undergoing physical and chemical change;

• be able to use tabulated values of thermodynamic data to predict values for vapour pressures, equilibrium constants, cell potentials and related quantities at specified temperatures;

• be able to use the concept of activity in nonideal systems, including solutions of electrolytes;

• understand the relation between molecular characteristics and spectroscopic phenomena in the microwave, infrared, visible/ultraviolet and nmr regions;

• be able to derive quantitative molecular information from elementary spectroscopic measurements;

• be able to establish from experimental data the rate expression for a reaction; understand the concepts of collision and activation in the mechanism of reactions;

• understand the connection between a proposed mechanism for a reaction and its observed rate behaviour and to evaluate the proposal in simple cases;

• appreciate the concept of criticality conditions and the various types of phase behaviour exhibited by binary mixtures;

• understand the conductivity of metals and semiconductors in terms of their structure at the atomic level;

• be able to relate the various defects in solids and at solid surfaces to the crystallisation, dissolution and strength of materials;

• understand the chemical mechanisms for the corrosion of metals;

• have developed experimental, observational, and report writing skills in the laboratory.

Content:

Thermodynamics, kinetics, spectroscopy, phase equilibria, solid state chemistry.

Assessment:

Prescribed Texts:

• Atkins P. W., Physical Chemistry, 5th ed. OUP, 1994.