This module will introduce you to undergraduate level physical chemistry. Physical chemistry has its own language, and way of presenting information. By the end of this module you will be confident in using the language of physical chemistry to discuss the concepts of changes in matter and energy. Through lectures, workshops and tutorial sessions you will develop your understanding and appreciation of physical chemistry.
Outline Syllabus
The language of physical chemistry: magnitudes & units. Ideal Gas Behaviour, Boyles, Avogadro, Charles law, ideal gas equation, pressure & its units, SATP.
Kinetic Molecular Theory: derivation of the ideal gas equation, distribution of molecular speeds effusion & diffusion of gases.
Real Gas Behaviour: collisions, real gases, equations of state. Kinetics 1: monitoring reaction progress, rate equations of elementary reactions, half-lives, studying elementary reactions.
Temperature Effects: Arrhenius, distribution of energies, activation energy for a complex reaction.
Complex Reactions: determination of mechanistic pathways, reversible, parallel & consecutive reactions, steady state approximation, reversible step mechanisms, chain reactions.
Heat, Work & Energy: system versus surroundings, reversible & non-reversible change, state functions & their importance, heat capacity, enthalpy, internal energy, first law of thermodynamics.
Hess's Law: enthalpy changes in selected processes, the Kirchoff equation, measurement of energy changes, introduction to entropy.
Spontaneity: spontaneous processes, entropy & disorder, Boltzmann's Law & the role of probability, the 2nd law of thermodynamics, entropy changes & the connection with phase transitions, the role of temperature, Gibbs energy.
Spectroscopy: EM Spectrum: principles of spectroscopy, energy-wavelength relationship, quantisation of rotational, vibrational & electronic energy, absorption & emission processes, population of energy levels, selection rules.