Introduction to Physical Chemistry

Physical chemistry is the study of the physical basis of phenomena related to the chemical composition and structure of substances. It has been pursued from two levels the macroscopic and the molecular. The theories and laws of physical chemistry provide a rich, comprehensive view of the world of atoms and molecules that connects their nature with the macroscopic properties and phenomena of materials and substances. A starting point for an introduction to physical chemistry is the concept of energy levels in atoms and molecules, distributions among these energy levels, and something of familiar use in everyday life, temperature. 

Physical chemistry, or chemical physics, is an area of molecular science with boundaries that are still being enlarged. In many ways, it is at the core of chemical science because it is concerned, in part, with achieving the most detailed, quantitative view of molecules and of chemical phenomena. This means it covers the structure of molecules, starting from a description of electrons and nuclei and the nature of chemical bonds. It covers dynamics (the changes in a molecular system with time), and this includes chemical reactions. It also covers properties of assemblies of atoms and molecules. Beyond that, the subject deals with the properties and phenomena of gases, liquids, and solids. Surely, this is a subject with applications in every area of molecular science, and to study physical chemistry is to pursue a very fundamental understanding of chemistry. 

Because it is developed from basic physical laws, physical chemistry deals with most issues quantitatively and mathematically. Even the qualitative notions that emerge usually rely on mathematical arguments. Often the theories used in physical chemistry are presented most concisely as mathematical expressions, making mathematical sophistication advantageous. The mathematical basis of physical chemistry allows the derived theories and laws to be powerfully predictive tools in science. 

The modern atomic theory of matter is almost two centuries old. It was in the early nineteenth century that Dalton s work (John Dalton, England, 1766-1844) advanced the proposal that matter is not continuously divisible and that there is some fundamental type of particle, the atom. The line of thought that began with the atomic theory of matter took its next major step in the early twenheth century when experiments pointed to the existence of subatomic particles. In a few more decades, it became clear that there are even smaller particles. Even today, the search for exotic subatomic particles continues. As matter is viewed using more and more powerful techniques, we can see that all matter is composed of discrete building blocks (parhcles) rather than continuous materials. 

In 1905, Einstein s (Albert Einstein, 1879-1955) special theory of relativity connected the property of mass with energy with his now infamous equation E = mc. This mass-energy 

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Ladd, M.F.C. (1998J Introduction to Physical Chemistry, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Lawrence, C. et al. (1996J Foundations of Physical Chemistry, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Mortimer, R.G. (2000) Physical Chemistry, Academic Press, London. 

V.B. Fenelonov, Introduction to Physical Chemistry of Formation of Adsorbents and Catalysts Supramolecular Structure, 2nd ed., Publ. House Sib. Branch Russian Academy of Science, Novosuibirsk 2004, p. 440 (in Russian). 

The Introduction to Physical Chemistry course is the centerpiece of the physical chemistry curriculum. It is named as such only because, by college rules, we needed to distinguish it from the previously offered Physical Chemistry I and Physical Chemistry II courses. We do believe, however, that it is aptly named because it provides an introduction to three of the four major areas of physical chemistry and our students are required to take an additional elective course covering one topic in greater detail. 

Table 11. Topics Covered in Introduction to Physical Chemistry...

AH of our chemistry majors must take the Math Concepts course, the Introduction to Physical Chemistry lecture, and the Physical Chemistry Laboratory. In addition to these courses students who want to obtain the ACS-certified degree must also take a two-credit physical chemistry-based elective course. We average 25 majors in a graduating class and approximately 80 % of our majors obtain the ACS-certified degree. Ideally we would like to offer at least three elective courses each year so that students have a choice. At a minimum, two electives will always be offered. 

Gilliom, R. D. Introduction to Physical Chemistry, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1970 p. 269. 

Gurvitch, A. M. Introduction to Physical Chemistry of Crystalophosphors, Moscow, Vys-shaya Shkola, 1971... 

A.R. Peacocke, An Introduction to Physical Chemistry of Biological Organization, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1983. 

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