Physical chemistry

Lecture: 3 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Recitation: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

The prerequisites for this course are 8.02 Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism, 18.02 Multivariable Calculus, and either 3.091 Introduction to Solid State Chemistry or 5.111 Principles of Chemical Science.

This course is an introduction to quantum mechanics for use by chemists. Topics include particles and waves, wave mechanics, semi-classical quantum mechanics, matrix mechanics, perturbation theory, molecular orbital theory, molecular structure, molecular spectroscopy, and photochemistry. Emphasis is on creating and building confidence in the use of intuitive pictures.

Problems will be assigned every week after the Friday lectures, except when an exam is scheduled for the following week. Late problem sets are not accepted. Solutions to the problem sets will be posted on the course website. Homework will be graded by the recitation instructors and returned in recitation.

There will be three ~50 minute examinations during the term and an officially scheduled 180-minute final examination during Final Exam week. An information sheet summarizing details of the examinations will be distributed before each examination. All of the exams will be closed-notes (except for one 8.5" X 11" sheet of student-prepared notes) and closed book.

McQuarrie, Donald A. Quantum Chemistry, 2nd Edition. University Science Books, 2007. ISBN: 9781891389504.

Field, Robert W. Spectra and Dynamics of Small Molecules. Springer, 2015. ISBN: 9783319159577.

Cohen-Tannoudji, Claude, Bernard Diu, and Franck Laloë. Quantum Mechanics. Wiley, 1991. ISBN: 9780471164333.

Atkins, Peter, Julio dePaula, and James Keeler. Physical Chemistry, 11th edition. Oxford University Press, 2018. ISBN: 9780198769866.

Silbey, Robert J., Robert A. Alberty, and Moungi G Bawendi. Physical Chemistry, 4th Edition. Wiley. ISBN: 9780471215042.

Karplus, Martin. Atoms and Molecules: An Introduction for Students of Physical Chemistry. Benjamin-Cummings Publishing Co., 1970. ISBN: 9780805352184.

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