Spring 2016

Administrative Information

Class meets: MWF 10:10-11:05am in SCST 129
Optional Class Text: Any Physical Chemistry textbook for your reference. Popular ones include Atkins and de Paula; Engel and Reid; McQuarrie and Simon; Levine; Barrow; Silbey and Alberty. I will not be following a textbook closely so it does not matter which one you use as a reference if you so choose.
Class web site: http://home.sandiego.edu/~jkua/chem312spr16.html

Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Kua
Office: SCST 381
Phone: (619) 260-7970
E-mail:
Office hours: Mon 12:45-2pm, Tue 2:30-4pm, Wed 12:45-2pm, Thu 11am-noon

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 simply on statistics and 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.

Learning outcomes: At the end of the course you will be able to derive the molecular properties of thermodynamics from statistical mechanics and apply this knowledge to solve various chemical problems, both macroscopic and microscopic, involving thermodynamics and kinetics.
More specifically you should be able to:
1. derive and apply thermodynamic expressions based on equations of state
2. apply the conceptual and theoretical tenets of the three laws of thermodynamics
3. apply the concepts of enthalpy, entropy, free energy, and their relationships to thermochemistry and equilibrium
4. derive and apply the equations of statistical mechanics to bridge the microscopic and macroscopic views of molecular behavior
5. derive and apply the equations that describe the molecular and macroscopic aspects of chemical rate laws
6. apply the concepts of thermodynamics to the various states of matter, their transitions, and to mixtures

Course requirements:
1. There will be three in-class exams and one Final Exam. There will be seven problem sets which you will turn in. There will be many worksheets, some of which we will do in-class and some of which (approximately twelve) you will turn in for a grade.

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. You are also expected to be familiar with anything covered in General Chemistry (CHEM151 and CHEM152).

3a. Collaboration is allowed, and even encouraged, on problem sets and worksheets 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%
                12 Worksheets @ 0.5% each     6%
                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) used in Exams. (Changes may be made. Last updated: 15 Jan 2016)

Section I. Gases: Bridging Microworld and Macroworld
Section I.1: Physical Properties of Gases Worksheets1-4(pdf)
25 Jan    Ideal Gases, Kinetic Molecular Theory of Gases
27 Jan    Deviations from Ideal Gas Law, Critical Phenomena
29 Jan    Two-parameter Equations of State to describe Real Gases

01 Feb    Pairwise intermolecular interactions
Section I.2: Energies of Collections of Molecules (17,18) Worksheets5-11(pdf)
03 Feb    Energies in the Atomic/Molecular World
               Degrees of freedom, molecular motion, level spacings
05 Feb    Energies of Collections of Molecules
               Thermal Energy, Distributions

08 Feb    Derivation of the Boltzmann distribution
10 Feb    Partition Functions and Thermal Energy
12 Feb    Translation partition function

15 Feb    Rotation and vibration partition functions
17 Feb    Rotation and vibration partition functions (ctd)
19 Feb    Exam #1

Section II. Thermodynamics
Section II.1: Energy and the First Law of Thermodynamics Worksheets12-17(pdf)
22 Feb    First Law and Conservation of Energy
24 Feb    Heat, Work and Isothermal Processes
26 Feb    Enthalpy and chemical reactions
               Standard enthalpies of formation

29 Feb    Heat capacity
02 Mar    Adiabatic Processes
04 Mar    Molecular Basis of Thermal Energy: Bond Energies

Section II.2: Entropy and the Second and Third Laws of Thermodynamics Worksheets18-23(pdf)
07 Mar    Second Law and Entropy
09 Mar    Carnot Cycles
11 Mar    Entropy and Spontaneity

14 Mar    Third Law and Zero Temperature
16 Mar    Molecular Basis of Entropy
18 Mar    Molecular Basis of Entropy

Spring/Easter Break

30 Mar    Trouton's Rule
01 Apr    Exam #2

Section II.3: Free Energy and Chemical Equilibria in Gases Worksheets24-29(pdf)
04 Apr    Free Energy: property, spontaneity
               Relationship of Free Energy and Mechanical Energy
06 Apr    Standard Free energies of Formation
               Free Energy and Pressure
08 Apr    Free Energy and the Equilibrium constant
               Free Energy and Temperature

11 Apr    Equilibria and Distributions
13 Apr    Fugacity and Free Energy of Real Gases
15 Apr    Interrelating Thermodynamic Properties
               Maxwell's Equations

Section II.4: Applications of Thermodynamics Worksheets30-33(pdf)
18 Apr    Ideal Mixtures
20 Apr    Raoult's Law
22 Apr    Chemical Potential and the Gibbs-Duhem relationship

25 Apr    Entropy and the Arrow of Time
27 Apr    Exam #3
Section III: Kinetics Worksheets34-38(pdf)
29 Apr   Rate equations and Rate Laws

02 May   Reaction Rates and Equilibria
               Relaxation Methods
04 May   Reaction Mechanisms
06 May   Unimolecular Gas Phase Reactions
               Molecular Collisions

09 May   Temperature dependence of the rate constant
               Transition State Theory

Final Exam is 11am-1pm on Mon, May 16.