CHEM 3336 - Physical Chemistry I

Course Description

It is likely that everything you have learned in chemistry to date can be traced back to the concepts in physical chemistry! Questions you may have had rolling around since general chemistry might now get an answer. Where do those mysterious quantum numbers actually come from? What is entropy? Why and how do molecules vibrate and rotate? And what is the deal with Schrodinger’s cat?

In this class we will survey the foundational principles and systems in both thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. Beginning with thermodynamics, we will learn how energy is transferred from one form to another in bulk systems and how this can be used to understand and predict the behavior of matter. Then we will transition to quantum mechanics and learn about the strange laws governing the smallest atoms and subatomic particles.

Student Learning Objectives

1. Develop a working understanding of the subatomic composition and properties of elements via the shell model
   • 1.1 - Kinetic Molecular Theory
   • 1.2 - Perfect and Real Gases
   • 1.3 - First Law of Thermodynamics (Heat, Work and Energy)
   • 1.4 - Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy)
   • 1.5 - Free Energy
2. Describe the general composition and reactivity of matter
   • 2.1 - Origin of Quantum Mechanics
   • 2.2 - Particle in a Box
   • 2.3 - Harmonic Oscillator and Vibrational Motion
   • 2.4 - Rigid Rotor and Rotational Motion
   • 2.5 - Hydrogen Atom