00122 - Physical Chemistry

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students should to be able to use the fundamental concepts of  Physical Chemistry that are the basis to understand further topics of biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, structural characterization of drugs and pharmaceutical techniques.

Course contents

Thermodynamics Definitions. The First Law: internal energy, heath and work. Thermochemistry: heath capacity, enthalpy, reaction enthalpy and Hess law, temperature dependence of enthalpy changes. The Second and Third Law: spontaneous processes, entropy, the Clausius inequality, temperature dependence of entropy. Free Energy: Gibbs free energy, maximum work, pressure and temperature dependence of G. Phase Transitions: stability of phases, phase diagrams, Clapeyron equations, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, Gibbs free energy and chemical potential. Chemical Equilibrium: the Van't Hoff equation, the equilibrium constant, temperature dependence of the equilibrium constant, effect of pressure on equilibrium.

 

Electrochemistry  The thermodynamic properties of ions in solution. The Debye-Huckel theory. Electrochemical cells: the Nernst equation, electrical work and Gibbs free energy. Electrodes: reduction potential and applications. Potentiometric measurements.

 

Chemical Kinetics  Empirical chemical kinetics. Rate equations. Reaction rates. Integration of rate equations. Temperature dependence of  reaction rates: the Arrhenius equation. Ionic strength and reaction rate. Parallel and Consecutive reactions: equilibrium and steady-state approximations. Reaction mechanisms: chain reactions, polymerization. Homogeneous catalysis. Autocatalysis. Oscillating reactions.

 

Elements of Quantum Chemistry  Microscopic systems and the failure of classical physics. The black-body energy emission: the Planck interpretation. The Planck constant. The photoelectric effect: the Einstein interpretation. The hydrogen atom emission spectra: the Bohr interpretation. Quantum numbers. The De Broglie hypothesis. Particles and waves. The particle in a monodimensional box: the Schoedinger equation. Chemical applications. The Schroedinger equation for the hydrogen atoms. Wavefunctions and probability. The uncertainty principle. The structure of many-electron atoms.     

Readings/Bibliography

R. Chang, Physical Chemistry for Chemical and Biological Sciences, Vol. 1, University Science Books, 2000

R. Cervellati, Lezioni di cinetica chimica sperimentale e interpretativa, Edizioni CompoMat, Configni, RI, 2011 (in Italian)

S. Capasso, La Chimica Fisica aiitraverso esercizi, Loghia, 2010

Teaching methods

Course lectures, practical exercices

Assessment methods

Written and oral exam. The written exam consists in numerical exercices similar to ones dealt with during the practical exercices realated to the course lectures. Overcamig the written exam is a necessay condition to be admitted at the oral exam.

Teaching tools

videoprojector, PC, overhead projector

Links to further information

http://www.unibo.it/docenti/rinaldo.cervellati

Office hours

See the website of Rinaldo Cervellati