chemistry 260: Chemical principles
This course is an advanced look at the general principles that underlie chemistry intended for second and third-year undergraduates in chemistry and related fields. The course presents the first exposure to the ideas of quantum mechanics, attempting to build up a picture of chemistry based on this important 20th century perspective. Following the quantum chemistry development, we take a step back and introduce the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics. Here we build to the powerful concepts of free energy and spontaneity by progressing through the three laws of thermodynamics. Examples and applications of free energy include chemical equilibrium, phase transitions, electrochemistry, and acid-base chemistry. Finally, realizing that thermodynamics is not the whole story, we cover chemical kinetics and the rates of chemical reactions. Throughout we attempt to draw connections between the different areas, while maintaining a "molecular" viewpoint. Topics introduced in this course are expanded upon and are covered in more depth in later chemistry courses. The goal here is to provide the conceptual landscape, thus enabling chemical understanding based on only a small set of fundamental principles.
The image above is a photograph of a sculpture made of the quantum corral, by Julian Voss-Andreae.
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