Physical Chemistry: Understanding our Chemical World

Etymological Introduction.

List of Symbols.

Powers of Ten: Standard Prefixes.

1. Introduction to physical chemistry .

1.1 What is physical chemistry? Variables, relationships and laws.

1.2 The practice of thermodynamic measurement.

1.3 Properties of gases and the gas laws.

1.4 Further thoughts on energy.

2.  Introducing interactions and bonds.

2.1 Physical and molecular interactions.

2.2 Quantifying the interactions and their influence.

2.3 Creating formal chemical bonds.

3. Energy and the first law of thermodynamics.

3.1 Introduction to thermodynamics: internal energy.

3.2 Enthalpy.

3.3 Indirect measurement of enthalpy.

4. Reaction spontaneity and the direction of thermodynamic change.

4.1 The direction of physicochemical change: entropy.

4.2 The temperature dependence of entropy.

4.3 Introducing the Gibbs function.

4.4 The effect of pressure on thermodynamic variables.

4.5 Thermodynamics and the extent of reaction.

4.6 The effect of temperature on thermodynamic variables.

5. Phase equilibria.

5.1 Ene rgetic introduction to phase equilibria.

5.2 Pressure and temperature changes with a single-component system: qualitative discussion.

5.3 Quantitative effects of pressure and temperature change for a single-component system.

5.4 Phase equilibria involving two-component systems: partition.

5.5 Phase equilibria and colligative properties.

5.6 Phase equilibria involving vapour pressure.

6. Acids and bases.

6.1 Properties of Lowry–Brønsted acids and bases.

6.2 ‘Strong’ and ‘weak’ acids and bases.

6.3 Titration analyses.

6.4 pH buffers.

6.5 Acid–base indicators.

7. Electrochemistry.

7.1 Introduction to cells: terminology and background.

7.2 Introducing half cells and electrode potentials.

7.3 Activity.

7.4 Half cells and the Nernst equation.

7.5 Concentration cells.

7.6 Transport phenomena.

7.7 Batteries.

8. Chemical kinetics.

8.1 Kinetics definitions.

8.2 Qualitative discussion of concentration changes.

8.3 Quantitative concentration changes: integrated rate equations.

8.4 Kinetic treatment of complicated reactions.

8.5 Thermodynamic considerations: activation energy, absolute reaction rates and catalysis.

9. Physical chemistry involving light: spectroscopy and photochemistry.

9.1 Introduction to photochemistry.

9.2 Photon absorptions and the effect of wavelength.

9.3 Photochemical and spectroscopic selection rules.

9.4 Photophysics: emission and loss processes.

9.5 Other optical effects.

10. Adsorption and surfaces, colloids and micelles.

10.1 Adsorption and definitions.

10.2 Colloids and interfacial science.

10.3 Colloid stability.

10.4 Association colloids: micelles.

Answers to SAQs.

Bibliography.