Physical chemistry

From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)

According to renowned chemist Gilbert Lewis "Physical chemistry is anything interesting." As a combined science of physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and quantum mechanics it functions to provide molecular-level interpretations of observed macroscopic phenomena. Typically, changes in temperature, pressure, volume, heat, and work of systems in the solid, liquid, and or gas phase are correlated to microscopic atomic and molecular interactions.

The type of relationships that physical chemistry tries to resolve include:

1. The effects of intermolecular forces on the physical properties of materials (plasticity, tensile strength, surface tension in liquids)
2. The effects of molecular kinetics on the rate of a reaction
3. How the identity of ions affects electrical conductivity of materials

Most cite Willard Gibbs as the founder of physical chemistry as stemming from his 1876 paper: “On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances”, wherein such cornerstones as free energy, chemical potential, and phase rule were developed.

Modern physical chemistry is firmly grounded upon physics. Important areas of study include thermochemistry (chemical thermodynamics), chemical kinetics, quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics, electrochemistry, surface and solid state chemistry, and spectroscopy. Physical chemistry is also fundamental to modern materials science.

Contents 1 Important physical chemists 2 Fictional Physical Chemists 3 See also 4 Literature

Important physical chemists

}}}" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" style="padding-left:{{{gap|}}};"| Svante Arrhenius Richard Bernstein E.J. Bowen Ludwig Boltzmann Peter Debye Manfred Eigen Mostafa A. El-Sayed Richard R. Ernst Rosalind Franklin William Giauque J.W. Gibbs Fritz Haber Dudley R. Herschbach

}}}" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" style="padding-left:{{{gap|}}};"| Gerhard Herzberg Jaroslav Heyrovský Cyril Norman Hinshelwood J.H. van 't Hoff Roald Hoffmann Erich Hückel Friedrich Kohlrausch Irving Langmuir Yuan T. Lee Gilbert N. Lewis Frederick Lindemann Rudolph A. Marcus Robert S. Mulliken

}}}" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" style="padding-left:{{{gap|}}};"| Walther Nernst Lars Onsager Wilhelm Ostwald Linus Pauling John Charles Polanyi Michael Polanyi Stuart A. Rice John Ross E. Bright Wilson Richard N. Zare Ahmed H. Zewail

Fictional Physical Chemists

• Ned Brainard

See also

• Important publications in physical chemistry(chemistry),
• Important publications in physical chemistry(physics)
• Quantum chemistry

Literature

• Physical Chemistry, P.W. Atkins, 1978, Oxford University Press ISBN 0-7167-3539-3
• Physical Chemistry, R. Stephen Berry, Stuart A. Rice, John Ross, 2000 (2nd Edition), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-510589-3
• Introduction to Modern Colloid Science, R.J. Hunter, 1993, Oxford University Press ISBN 0198553862
• Principles of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, P.C. Hiemenz, R. Rajagopalan, 1997, Marcel Dekker Inc., New York ISBN 0824793978
• Physical Chemistry, W.J. Moore, 1963 (4th Edition), Longmans, London/Prentice Hall, NJ, ISBN ????

--Angel 16:12, 4 June 2006 (CDT)