Physical Chemistry III (CHEM30001)

Intended learning outcomes

Upon completion of this subject, students should have an understanding of a number of aspects of Physical Chemistry that may include quantum theory (wave equations, tunnelling processes, vibrational and rotational motions, and quantum effects in extended systems), statistical mechanics (Boltzmann distributions and partition functions), molecular interactions (electric dipole moments and dipole interactions, electrostatic and dispersion forces, H-bonding, hydrophobic, repulsive and attractive interactions, interactions and the liquid-vapour interface) and kinetics (collision theory, elementary reactions, steady-state approximation, reaction rates, kinetic motion in gases, molecular motion in liquids, diffusion, catalysis, enzyme kinetics, chain reactions), colloidal phenomena and how they are dictated by surface interactions, computational and theoretical chemistry, condensed matter chemistry and light-matter interactions.

The practical component of this subject will consist of a number of experiments involving the physical, computational and instrumental investigations of important chemical systems and phenomena, chosen from practical experiments offered within the CHEM30015 course.

Generic skills

At the completion of this subject students should develop the following generic skills:

• the ability to comprehend complex concepts and effectively communicate this understanding to the scientific community and in a manner accessible to the wider community;
• the ability to analyse and solve abstract technical problems;
• the ability to connect and apply the learnt concepts to a broad range of scientific problems beyond the scope of this subject;
• an awareness of advanced technologies;
• the ability to think and reason logically;
• the ability to think critically and independently.