Linking the Molecular to the Macroscopic: Foundations of Physical Chemistry

4 credits · Undergraduate

How do macroscopic properties emerge from the ~10^23 atoms that make up each gram of matter? This course introduces and builds the concepts around how large numbers of particles arrange themselves in molecular energy levels (statistical mechanics) and how these energy levels arise at the atomistic scale (quantum mechanics). Specific topics include: obtaining quantum mechanical energy levels and connecting them to thermodynamic properties using statistical mechanics. Quantum mechanics of simple systems (particle in a box, particle on a ring, harmonic oscillator, rigid rotor, and hydrogen atom) and their connection to and uses in thermodynamics (laws of thermodynamics, properties of gases and thermal motion, and chemical equilibria). Homeworks and sections will employ the Python programming language for hands-on experience with simulating chemical systems.