Instructor: Harry Stern
Office: 419 Hutchison Hall
Office hours: Tuesdays 1-3 PM or by appointment
Phone: 275-8804
email: hstern[at]chem[dot]rochester[dot]edu (please put '252' somewhere in subject line)
CRN: 28862

Course description: This course covers thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and chemical kinetics. These subjects are a fundamental part of our understanding of matter and energy. Thermodynamics is the mathematical theory of heat – it gives rules describing how heat flows, and the relationship between heat and other kinds of energy. Statistical mechanics explains what heat is – it provides an explanation of thermodynamics in terms of the random motion of molecules. Chemical kinetics is the study of the time dependence of chemical reactions.

Prerequisites: General chemistry (CHM 131/132 or equivalent), first-semester physics (PHY113 or equivalent) and calculus (MTH143 or equivalent)

Text: Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula, Physical Chemistry, 8th ed. (Volume I: Thermodynamics and Kinetics) W. H. Freeman and Co., 2006

Lectures: MWF 11:00-11:50 AM in Gavett 208.

Teaching assistants:
Wesley Asher (washer[at]mail[dot]rochester[dot]edu) Office hours: Monday 1-2 in 120 Hutchison Hall
Jesse Kleingardner (jkleinga[at]mail[dot]rochester[dot]edu) Office hours: Monday 1-3 and Thursday 1-2 in 121 Hutchison Hall
Timothy Stacey (timothystacey[at]gmail[dot]com)

Homework: Weekly problem sets will be assigned. Students are encouraged to work together on problem sets. Homework will be graded on a check+/check/check- basis.

Recitation/problem sessions: Thursday 7-8:15 PM in Hylan 306, Friday 2-3:15 PM in Hylan 201/202. Recitations will focus on problem sets.

Exams:
Three in-class exams will be given on Feb 20, Apr 2, and Apr 30. No makeup exams will be given, but the lowest score on the three exams will be dropped. A cumulative 3-hour final exam will be given May 8 at 8:30 AM in Gavett 208.

Syllabus:
Ch. 1. Properties of gases: thermodynamic states, ideal and van der Waals equations of state
Ch. 2. First law of thermodynamics: work, heat, energy, enthalpy, state functions, standard states
Ch. 3. Second and third laws of thermodynamics: entropy, Helmholtz and Gibbs free energies
Ch. 4. Physical transformations of pure substances: phase transitions and phase diagrams
Exam 1: Wed Feb 20
Ch. 5. Simple mixtures: partial molar quantities, chemical potential, thermodynamics of mixing
Ch. 6. Multicomponent phase diagrams: Gibbs phase rule, vapor pressure, liquid-liquid and liquid-solid phase diagrams
Ch. 7. Chemical equilibrium: minimizing Gibbs free energy, dependence on pressure and temperature, electrochemistry
Statistical mechanics: principles and applications
Exam 2: Wed Apr 2
Ch. 8. Molecules in motion: kinetic model of gases, ionic mobilities, diffusion
Ch. 9. Chemical kinetics: rate laws, temperature dependence, elementary reactions
Ch. 10. Kinetics of complex reactions: chain reactions, polymerization, catalysis
Exam 3: Wed Apr 30
Final Exam