Syllabus

Thermodynamics

The First Law of Thermodynamics

• Course Pack I-4 (4.5 Lectures)

· Work and Heat

· The First Law of Thermodynamics

· Enthalpy

· Heat Capacities

· Gas Expansions: Reversible and Irreversible; Isothermal and Adiabatic

· Thermochemistry

· Bond Enthalpies

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

• Course Pack I - 5, 6 (4.5 Lectures)

· Spontaneous Processes

· Entropy

· Thermodynamic Efficiency

· The Second Law of Thermodynamics

· Entropy Changes

· The Third Law of Thermodynamics

· Gibbs Energy

· Dependence of Gibbs Energy on Temperature and Presure

· Phase Equilibria

Chemical Equilibrium

• Course Pack I - 9 (1.5 Lectures)

· Reactions in the Gas Phase and in solutions

· The Thermodynamics basis of Le Chatelier’s Principle

· Acid-Base Equilibrium

Electrochemistry

• Course Pack I 10 (1.5 Lectures)

· Electrochemical Cells

· Standard Electrode Potential

· Thermodynamics of Electrochemical Cells

The Chemical Bond

• Gray (4.5 Lectures)

· Electronic properties of Atoms and Molecules

· Diatomic Molecule: s and p orbitals.

· Polyatomic Molecules

• Valence Bond Theory
• Lewis Acid Base Properties
• Molecular Orbital Theory

· Photoelectron spectroscopy

Introduction to Coordination Chemistry

• Gray (4.5 Lectures)

· Structure and stability of Transition Metal Complexes

• Lewis Acid-Base Theory
• Hard-Soft Acid Base Theory
• Chelate Effect

Structure and Bonding in Coordination Complexes

• Gray (4.5 Lectures)

· Crystal Field Theory

• Octahedral Complexes
• Tetrahedral Complexes
• Square Planar Complexes
• D-d transitions and Light Absorptions
• Spectrochemical Series
• Magnetic Properties of Metal Complexes

· Molecular Orbital Theory of transition Metal Complexes

• s and p interactions
• p-acid ligands; backbonding
• Charge Transfer Bands

Chemical Kinetics

• Course Pack (7.5 Lectures)

· Reaction Rates

· Rate Laws

· Integrated Rate Expressions

· Reaction Mechanisms

· Collision Theory

· Enzyme Catalysis

· Atmospheric Chemistry

· Nuclear Chemistry

Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms

• Course Pack (4.5 Lectures)

· Thermodynamics vs. Kinetics

• Lability vs. Inertness
• Reaction Profiles
• Relationship between kinetics and thermodynamics

· Mechanism of ligand substitution

• Associative Pathways
• Dissociative Pathways

· Redox Reactions: Inner sphere, Outer Sphere

Textbooks

Course Pack

Gray, H. B., Chemical Bond: An Introduction to Atomic and Molecular Structure, University Science, Sausalito, CA (1994)..

Chemistry Department, Chemistry 155 Laboratory Manual , Williams College, Williamstown, MA (2002).

Additional References

Oxtoby, D., Gillis, H. P. Nachtrieb, N. H., Principles of Modern Chemistry, 5th Ed. Thomson, Brook/Cole (2002).