PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY II

The course is part of the core educational activities of Bachelor's Degree in Sustainable Chemistry and Technologies (Chemical Science and Technologies curriculum) and it allows to acquire the basic knowledge and understanding of chemical kinetics and the main concepts of quantum mechanics. Chemical kinetics concerns the speed of reactions and this branch of chemistry is of fundamental importance from both practical and theoretical point of views. Also, the knowledge of quantum mechanics are important for the formation of chemistry graduates since this theory is at the basis of chemistry and spectroscopy.

The expected learning outcomes are the knowledge and understanding of the concepts presented during the lessons and the ability to use them to solve theoretical and practical problems. Furthermore, students must be able to communicate the knowledge learned and the results of their applications using appropriate terminology.

The prerequisites of the course are the training objectives of the courses of Institutions of Mathematics and Exercises 1 and 2 and General Physics 1 and 2. Furthermore, it is important that students know some topics covered in the course of Inorganic Chemistry such as the atomic and molecular structure and the molecular orbitals theory.

The course contents are divided into two parts: (1) chemical kinetics, (2) quantum mechanics; at the beginning of the first lesson a short presentation of the course will be made.

- FIRST PART: CHEMICAL KINETICS
Rate of reaction. Rate laws and order of reaction. The main experimental techniques to monitor the progress of a chemical reaction. The isolation method. Method of initial rates. Integrated rate laws and integration method. Half-live of a reactant. The dependence of rate of reaction on temperature. Reaction mechanisms. Elementary reactions and molecularity. Consecutive, concurrent and parallel elementary reactions. Pre-equilibrium. Determination of rate laws by the relaxation methods. Gas-phase unimolecular reactions. Chain reactions. Explosions. Photochemical reactions. Catalysis. Homogeneous catalysis. Enzymatic catalysis: the Michaelis-Menten law. Heterogeneous catalysis. Physisorption and chemisorption. Adsorption isotherms. Mechanisms of surface-catalysed reactions. Activated complex theory of reaction rates.

- SECOND PART: QUANTUM MECHANICS
The origins of quantum mechanics: the black-body radiation. Wave-particle duality: the photoelectric effect, the de Broglie relation, the diffraction of electrons. The Schrödinger equation. Interpretation of the wavefunction. Postulates of the quantum mechanics. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Translation motion of a free particle and a particle in a box. The tunneling effect. The harmonic oscillator. Two- and three-dimensional rotational motion. Space quantization and the vector model of angular momentum. The spin angular momentum. Applications of group theory in quantum mechanics: atomic orbitals symmetry, hybrid orbitals, projection operators, symmetry-adapted linear combinations (SALC), molecular orbitals.

• P. Atkins, J. De Paula, J. Keeler. Atkins’ Physical Chemistry, 11th Edition, Oxford University Press, 2018.
• A. Gambi. Esercizi di Chimica Fisica, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2013.
• F. A. Cotton, Chemical Applications of Group Theory, 3rd edition, New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1990.

For the chemical kinetics part, the learning verification method consists of a written test, while for the quantum mechanics part the test is only oral.

The written test in chemical kinetics consists of two or three exercises to solve and two or three questions to answer. The maximum score assigned to each exercise or question depends on their number and difficulty. This test aims to verify the acquisition of the concepts presented during the lessons and their application. The duration of the written test is ninety minutes and only the use of a scientific calculator and the consultation of a form provided by the teacher is allowed. The written chemical kinetics test can be replaced by an intermediate written test, to be carried out in the second half of the course.

The oral exam in quantum mechanics consists of three or four questions regarding the course content. The last question concerns the applications of group theory to QM and may involve solving a problem on the blackboard. Students must demonstrate the learning of the topics covered during the lessons and the ability to expose them in a formal manner. The oral examination in quantum mechanics lasts approximately 40 minutes.

The final mark will be the average of the written test in chemical kinetics and the oral one in quantum mechanics.

Teaching is organized in lectures, including problem-solving exercises.

In the "Moodle" platform of the University there are all the slides projected during the lessons.

Italian

STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THE COURSE COULD CHANGE AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC.

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion

Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments:
Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding supportservices and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). In the case of disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

written and oral