Difficulties, learning physical chemistry

Finally, don t be put off by the reputation for difficulty. Many students have enjoyed learning physical chemistry. 

Looking at thermodynamics from the physical chemistry perspective, students at the high school and college levels experience difficulties with fundamental concepts in chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics (61). Thomas and Schwenz (62) found that physical chemistry students still have difficulties with the above concepts, which may continue through their professional careers. Both students and lecturers in the SOzbilir study (52) (see above) assumed the abstract nature of thermodynamics concepts as a cause of learning difficulties. 

Professor Reinhoudt underscored the difficulty that an organic chemist faces when taking the application-driven approach there is a vast amount of information that needs to be learned first about subjects outside of synthetic chemistry. One needs to learn the physics of devices, the principles of optoelectronics, the language of material engineers, etc., and only after such an investment can one collaborate effectively. 

The book has been written at the level of the graduate student in chemistry. It contains somewhat more material than has been presented in the year course given at Princeton since 1931. The good student who has mastered calculus will be able to follow the arguments. The way will be made easier by whatever he has learned of differential equations, vector analysis, group theory, and physical optics. Often unfamiliarity is mistaken for inherent difficulty. The unavoidable formality of quantum mechanics looks much worse on first reading than it is. The important fact emerges from the experience of the last twenty years that mastery of the subject is worth what it costs in effort. 

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