Syllabus for Physical Chemistry II

Course Outline:

  1. Statistical Mechanics: The Bridge between microscopic and macroscopic behavior
  2. Basic properties of Gases (Chapter 16)
    1. Ideal Gases
    2. Two-parameter Equations of State
    3. Virial Coefficients
    4. van der Waals interactions and Molecular Potentials
  3. The Boltzmann Factor (Chapter 17)
    1. Partition Functions
    2. Average Energies
    3. Physical properties and their relation to Partition Functions
  4. Partition Functions and Ideal Gases (Chapter 18)
    1. Translational Partition Functions
    2. Electronic Partition Functions
    3. Vibrational Partition Functions
    4. Rotational Partition Functions
  5. Math Review (Math Chapter H) - Partial Differentiation
  6. The First law of Thermodynamics (Chapter 19)
    1. Work
    2. Heat
    3. State Functions
    4. Adiabatic processes
    5. Enthalpy
    6. Heat Capacity
  7. Math Review (Math Chapter J) - Stirling's Approximation
  8. Entropy and The Second Law (Chapter 20)
    1. Energy is not enough!
    2. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
    3. The Boltzmann Equation (what do you want on your tombstone?)
    4. The Third Law (Chapter 21)
  9. Phase Equilibria (Chapter 23) and Chemical Equilibria (Chapter 26)
    1. Phase Diagrams
    2. Chemical Potentials
    3. The Clausius-Clapeyron Equation
    4. Equilibrium constants and the Gibbs Free Energy
    5. Temperature dependence and the Van't Hoff Equation
  10. The Kinetic Theory of Gases (Chapter 27)
    1. Temperature as a measure of Kinetic Energy
    2. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for molecular speeds
    3. The Mean Free Path and Collision frequencies
    4. Diffusion
  11. Chemical Kinetics (Chapters 28 & 29)
    1. Time Dependence and Rate Laws
    2. Orders of Reactions
    3. Reaction Mechanisms
    4. Detailed Balance
    5. The Steady-State Approximation
    6. Unimolecular reactions and the Lindemann Mechanism
    7. The Michaelis-Menten Mechanism for Enzyme Catalysis
    8. Temperature dependence of Rate Constants
  12. Statistical Mechanics and Kinetic Theories
    1. Potential Energy Surfaces
    2. Transition State Theory
    3. Variational TST
    4. "Early"- and "Late"-barrier reactions