Spring 2008

Administrative Information

Class meets: MWF 10:10-11:05am in ST 334
Class Text: Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach by Donald McQuarrie and John Simon (I will not be following the text too closely, but either you already have it from, or you'll need it for, Chem311.)
Class web site: http://home.sandiego.edu/~jkua/chem312spr08.html

Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Kua
Office: ST 381
Phone: (619) 260-7970
E-mail:
Office hours: Mon 1:30-3pm, Tue 10:35-11:35am, Wed 11:05am-12:05pm, Thu 2:30-4pm

Why should I care? What is thermodynamics? Does the Second Law of Thermodynamics constrain me to get progressively disorganized and messy as life goes on? Does everything that we observe hinge on what is most probable? How do you count zillions and zillions of probability states anyway and why should I bother? If you've ever asked yourself any of these questions, then this course will begin to answer some of them, but it will also bring up more nagging, but vitally interesting, questions!

Course goals: To understand and apply thermodynamics and kinetics to chemistry. This course will begin with the study of gases as an example of how microscopic properties relate to macroscopic properties. It will then cover the first three laws of thermodynamics, free energy, and kinetics (in brief).

Course requirements:
1. There will be three in-class exams and one Final Exam. There will be problem sets most non-exam weeks composed of a mixture of assigned questions both from the text and from me.

2. A good grasp of calculus is important for understanding the material and completing the problem sets and exams. It is your responsibility to refamiliarize yourself with your calculus text if you need a refresher.

3a. Collaboration is allowed, and even encouraged, on problem sets but each student must write up their own work. I am not as interested in whether you got the right answer but how you arrived at your answer. Intermediate steps must be shown.
3b. There will be NO collaboration on any exam. You do need to really understand the material deep down in your very own self.

4a. Grade breakdown is as follows:
                7 Problem Sets @ 2% each      14%
                History Assignment                   4%
                Class Participation                     2%
                3 Exams @ 16% each              48%
                Final Exam                               32%
4b. Tentative Grading Scale (subject to change by the instructor at any time)
                A        85-100%
                B        70-84%
                C        55-69%
                D        40-54%
                F           0-39%
Appended + and - will approximately constitute 3% widths at either end of the scale for A-D grades.

5a. Late problem sets will receive no credit (although I will go through your answers with comments).
5b. There are no make-up exams. If you have a very good reason for missing an exam you have to let me know beforehand or as soon as possible. If I judge the reason to be valid and you did let me know beforehand or ASAP, an alternative will be available (probably in the form of an oral exam where I ask you anything I would have expected you to know on the exam).

6a. Students are most welcome to come in during office hours. Generally if my office door is wide open even if not during my office hours, you're more than welcome to stop by. Remember, I'm here to help you master the material. On the rare instances I'm super-busy right when you appear, I'll just ask you to come back a little later. I check my e-mail reasonably often during working hours so you can contact me that way too. (Don't expect replies on weekends and evenings.)
6b. I love talking about the statistical thermodynamics and entropy and the strangeness of the universe we live in. So if you have a wild thought or idea, I'd probably be interested in hearing it while giving you a dose of my wild ideas. Hopefully that will be obvious from class!

7a. All students are expected to adhere strictly to the Academic Integrity policy. Violations will be dealt with through the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, in accordance with the University of San Diego policy on academic integrity.
7b. Use of an unauthorized solutions manual or one from previous years is considered a violation of academic integrity.

Chem312 Equation Sheet (pdf) Changes may be made to later pages for later exams. (Last updated: 25 Jan 2008)

You will have a completed one-page paper submitted to me two days prior to your presenation. You will then give a 3-minute oral presentation on the scientist you have chosen in class. Everyone in the class will be reading your final submission as a handout during the day of your presentation so take care to write properly. I will read over rough drafts before the final submission, if you give me any way ahead of the final submission.

I have written an example on Ludwig Boltzmann (thus, none of you can pick Boltzmann), provided in pdf format here. boltzmannbio.pdf

Approximate associated chapters/sections of the text are in parenthesis.
Blank lines delimit separate weeks.

Section I. Gases: Bridging Microworld and Macroworld
28 Jan    Introduction
Section I.1: Physical Properties of Gases (16, 27.1)
              Ideal Gases and their Properties
30 Jan    Deviations from Ideal Gas Law, Critical Phenomena
01 Feb    Two-parameter Equations of State to describe Real Gases

04 Feb    Pairwise intermolecular interactions
Section I.2: Energies of Collections of Molecules (17,18)
06 Feb    Energies in the Atomic/Molecular World
               Degrees of freedom, molecular motion, level spacings
08 Feb    Energies of Collections of Molecules
               Thermal Energy, Distributions

11 Feb    Derivation of the Boltzmann distribution
13 Feb    Partition Functions and Thermal Energy
15 Feb    Translation partition function

18 Feb    Rotation and vibration partition functions
20 Feb    Heat Capacities
22 Feb    Exam #1

Section II. Thermodynamics
Section II.1: Energy and the First Law of Thermodynamics (19)
25 Feb    First Law and Conservation of Energy
27 Feb    Enthalpy and chemical reactions
                Standard enthalpies of formation
29 Feb    Heat capacity

03 Mar    Isothermal Processes
                Heat and Work
05 Mar    Adiabatic Processes
07 Mar    Molecular Basis of Thermal Energy

10 Mar    Energies: Bonds, Crystals, Aqueous ions
Section II.2: Entropy and the Second and Third Laws of Thermodynamics (20,21)
12 Mar    Second Law and Entropy
14 Mar    Carnot Cycles

Spring and Easter Break

26 Mar    Entropy and Spontaneity
28 Mar    Third Law and Zero Temperature

31 Mar    Molecular Basis of Entropy
02 Apr    Molecular Basis of Entropy (ctd)
               Trouton's Rule
04 Apr    Exam #2

Section II.3: Free Energy and Chemical Equilibria in Gases (22)
07 Apr    Free Energy: property, spontaneity
               Relationship of Free Energy and Mechanical Energy
09 Apr    Standard Free energies of Formation
               Free Energy and Pressure
11 Apr    Free Energy and the Equilibrium constant
               Free Energy and Temperature

14 Apr    Equilibria and Distributions
16 Apr    Fugacity
               Free Energy of Real Gases
18 Apr    Interrelating Thermodynamic Properties
               Maxwell's Equations

Section II.4: Applications of Thermodynamics (24,25)
21 Apr    Ideal Mixtures
23 Apr    Raoult's Law
25 Apr    Thermodynamics of Solutions

28 Apr    Thermodynamics of Solutions
30 Apr    Exam #3
Section III: Kinetics (selections from 27-29)
02 May   Kinetic Molecular Theory, Molecular Collisions

05 May   Rate Laws
07 May   Reaction Rates and Equilibria
09 May   Reaction Mechanisms

12 May   Unimolecular Gas Phase Reactions

Final Exam is 11am-1pm on Mon, May 19.