Introductory Physical Chemistry

Module code: CH1203

Physical chemistry is often referred to as the infrastructure of all of chemistry. It concerns the application of principles from physics - principles that underpin life as we know it on earth - to the study of chemical systems. This module will introduce you to core principles and theories behind physical chemistry, namely thermodynamics and kinetics, informing your study and career as a chemist moving forward.

Topics covered

• The aims and terminology of thermodynamics including the first and second laws, basic thermochemistry, enthalpy and entropy, Gibbs energy, acid-base equilibria, simple statistical mechanics and phase diagrams.
• The electrochemical process and how it relates to thermochemistry
• The properties of ideal and non-ideal gases including the understanding of virial coefficients, Maxwell distributions and collision rates
• The basic principles of reaction kinetics and how they can be measured; and the use of these principles to calculate the effect of various parameters on the rates of chemical reactions
• Qualitative and quantitative analyses of and solving problems involving thermodynamic and kinetic data