Advanced Physical Chemistry: Chemical Dynamics and Thermodynamics

Description of Course Goals and Curriculum

The course covers classical laws of thermodynamics, statistical thermodynamics, and some kinetics and mechanisms rules. The over-arching goal is to link the molecular view and the macroscopic observations, to explain how the different properties of gases will yield differences in pressure, for example. The first half is largely an introduction of foundational information (both in terms of required mathematics and of key concepts) while the second part follows as a natural extension of this knowledge by looking at different physical phenomena is seeing how we can apply the classical laws and statistical thermodynamics.

Learning From Classroom Instruction

Lecture: Dr. Wang uses the lecture in a traditional format, almost exclusively writing on the blackboard and occasionally supplementing with slides. The lectures are primarily mathematical derivations of key equations for the class, examples of problems, and the occasional problem set tip. You are expected to be able to derive anything that she does, so I found it helpful to take notes of the key steps and assumptions. Dr. Wang will occasionally pass out hand-outs with important equations or mathematical statements, but it is invaluable to keep your own list as it will not only speed up the process of solving the pset but will also help you in exams since you are allowed your own equation sheet. Precept: Our year had a precept, though this is not usual for the class. It was used to offer guidance on solving the problem set and reviewing the midterm answer key since it was not released digitally. It is helpful to look at the problems beforehand even if you cannot attempt them since there is often over 45 minutes remaining for student questions on material. Reading: The textbook has more information than is covered in lecture or on assessments. It is largely mathematical derivations and refreshers of mathematical concepts. I would not use the textbook as an introduction to prepare for lecture as it is quite dense and more transparent explanations can be found online, but it is a great tool to review after lecture or for exams. It is also helpful when solving the problem set.

Learning For and From Assignments

Problem Sets: There are approximately weekly problem sets in the course that vary in length. They include mathematical proofs or derivations (slightly different from ones covered in class, but often similar) and numerically-based or graph-based problems with associated physical explanations. These questions are of a similar difficulty to the exam questions and I recommend clarifying any you do not understand. Exams: Exams may be written so that they might not be completely finished in the time allotted. They are a mixture of problems types, similar to the problem sets, that range from proofs to physical explanations. There are no numerical graphing questions asked. The content does span the entirety of the material covered which, because of length, tends to make the difficult to finish. Some problems are very similar to problem set ones, but there are no exact repeats.  

External Resources

I strongly recommend ChemLibre for any concepts that are difficult to grasp. The textbook for CHM 306 (also thermodynamics) is helpful for most of the units but particularly for the classical laws and physical pictures. Dr. Wang herself prefers it for some lectures of the course and often provides visuals from it or chapters of it. For the mathematical derivations, many other schools have PDFs available online of the same derivations with different language and explanation which I found helpful to seek out.  

What Students Should Know About This Course For Purposes Of Course Selection

MAT 201 (multivariable calculus) is listed as a pre-requisite to this course. One needs confidence with multivariable calculus for derivatives and integration in Cartesian coordinates, but not the entirety of the curriculum of 201. Occasionally, limits and Taylor expansions are also relevant. This class fulfils a chemistry department physical chemistry requirement, but beyond that Dr. Wang goes to great lengths to highlight how the macroscopic world relates to atomic or molecular properties that we can observe. It does a great job of this larger-picture importance, provided that the math does not overwhelm.