Applications of Statistics to Kinetics and Thermodynamics

Kinetic properties (rates of chemical reactions) and thermodynamic properties (equilibrium constants, energy, entropy) are described by a large number of different mathematical relations, which are usually just presented for the student to memorize. Part of the reason for this is the complexity associated with a full treatment of these properties these subjects are taught in graduate chemistry and physics courses at every major university, and multivariate calculus is needed to formulate a rigorous treatment. Unfortunately, simple memorization does not provide much intuition. 

This section takes a different approach. We will show in this section that it is possible to rationalize the fundamental thermodynamics and kinetic equations presented in introductory chemistry courses using only the statistical concepts we have outlined in this chapter. The goal here is to show why these equations are reasonable, not to give rigorous proofs. 

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