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Physical Chemistry

These notes follow Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula, Atkins' Physical Chemistry, Eighth Edition (W. H. Freeman, 2006), identified from the PDF cover, copyright page, and preface. The source has 1085 extractable PDF pages in this copy; pdfinfo was not available in the environment, so the page count was verified from pdftotext form-feed extraction.

The set is organized as a compact but detailed physical chemistry course: equilibrium thermodynamics first, then statistical thermodynamics, quantum structure, spectroscopy, molecular motion, kinetics, surfaces, catalysis, macromolecules, and solids. Each detail page includes formal definitions, key formulas, a visual anchor, two worked examples, runnable code, common pitfalls, and links to related SJ Wiki areas.

A Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution plot compares molecular speeds for several noble gases.

Figure: Molecular speed distributions as a physical picture behind gas laws and statistical thermodynamics. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Pdbailey, Cryptic C62, and Lilyu, public domain.

A phase diagram of water maps solid, liquid, vapor, triple-point, and critical-point regions.

Figure: Phase diagram showing how thermodynamics organizes states of matter. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Cmglee, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Hydrogen orbital density plots show bright probability regions for several quantum states.

Figure: Hydrogen electron probability densities as the quantum foundation for atomic and molecular structure. Image: Wikimedia Commons, PoorLeno, public domain.

A tall Bruker NMR spectrometer stands in a museum gallery.

Figure: NMR spectrometer as physical chemistry instrumentation for spin energy levels and molecular structure. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0.

  1. Properties of Gases
  2. First Law and Thermochemistry
  3. Second Law and Entropy
  4. Free Energy and Chemical Potential
  5. Phase Transitions and Phase Diagrams
  6. Mixtures, Solutions, and Activities
  7. Chemical Equilibrium
  8. Electrochemistry
  9. Boltzmann Distribution and Partition Functions
  10. Molecular Partition Functions
  11. Thermodynamic Functions from Statistics
  12. Quantum Foundations
  13. Quantum Models of Motion
  14. Atomic Structure and Spectra
  15. Molecular Structure and Computational Chemistry
  16. Molecular Symmetry and Group Theory
  17. Rotational, Vibrational, and Raman Spectroscopy
  18. Electronic, Laser, and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  19. Molecular Interactions and Transport
  20. Rate Laws and Reaction Mechanisms
  21. Temperature Dependence and Reaction Dynamics
  22. Catalysis, Surfaces, Macromolecules, and Solids