Page 8 - Bruno Linder Elementary Physical Chemistry

August 19, 2010 10:36 9in x 6in b985-fm Elementary Physical Chemistry

Preface

This book is based on a set of lecture notes for a one-semester course in
general physical chemistry (CHM 3400 at Florida State University) taught
by me in the Spring of 2009. This course was designed specially for students
working towards a Baccalaureate degree in Chemical Science. The course,
entitled General Physical Chemistry, consisted of three lectures weekly and
one recitation hour meeting weekly.
The course consisted of an elementary exposition of general physical
chemistry and included topics in thermodynamics, phase and chemical equi-
libria, cell potentials, chemical kinetics, introductory quantum mechanics,
elements of atomic and molecular structure, elements of spectroscopy, and
intermolecular forces.
In the field of physical chemistry, especially thermodynamics and
quantum mechanics, there are subtleties and conceptual difficulties, often
ignored in even more advanced treatments, which tend to obscure the logical
consistency of the subject. While the emphasis in this course is not on
mathematical rigor, conceptual difficulties are not “swept under the rug”,
but brought to the fore.
An essential feature of the course is weekly assignment of homework
problems, reflecting more or less the topic contents. These problems were
graded and discussed by the assigned teaching assistant in the recitation
session.
It is a pleasure to thank Jared Kinyon for reading the proofs and
checking the problems, and Steve Leukanech for doing the drawings.

Bruno Linder
August 2010

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