Chemistry 1410 – Physical Chemistry I
Instructor: Professor Kenneth D. Jordan
Rm: 330 Eberly Hall
Text: Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy by Thomas Engel
Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 – 12:15
Recitations: Tue.: 3:00-4:00
Office hours: Tuesdays 4:00-5:00, and Fridays, 10:00-11:00
Grading: two 45-minute exams (25% each); homeworks (10%), final exam (40%). All exams are open book, i.e., you can use your text and notes, but no other sources. Makeup exams are permitted only in the case of medical emergencies.
We will be covering many important concepts that build on one another. As a result, you are strongly encouraged to attend all lectures and recitations.
Week 1 (Jan. 5): Chpt. 1, the need for quantum mechanics
Week 2 (Jan. 10, 12): Chpt. 2, the Schrodinger Eq.
Week 3 (Jan. 17, 19): Chpt. 3, postulates of QM
Week 4 (Jan. 24, 26): Chpt. 4, QM of simple systems; Chpt. 5, particle in the box
Week 5 (Jan. 31, Feb. 2): Chpt. 6, commuting operators
Week 6 (Feb. 7, 9): Chpt. 7, QM of vibration and rotation; Exam 1 (Tu.)
Week 7 (Feb 14, 16): Chpt. 7, QM of vibration and rotation; Chpt. 8, vibr. and rot. spectroscopy
Week 8 (Feb. 21, 23): Chpt. 9, the H atom
Week 9 (Feb. 28, Mar. 2): Chpt. 10, many el. atoms; Chpt. 11, atomic spectroscopy
Week 10 (Mar. 14, 16): Chpt. 12, H2+ and H2
Week 11 (Mar. 21, 23): Chpt. 13, bonding in diatomics, Exam 2, (Tu.)
Week 12 (March 28, 30): Chpt. 16, computational chemistry
Week 13 (Apr. 4, 6): Chpt. 14, molecular structure
Week 14 (Apr. 11, 13): Chpt. 15, electronic spectroscopy
Week 15 (Apr. 18, 20) Chpt. 17, 18, selected topics in symmetry and NMR spectroscopy
Week 16 (Apr. 27): Final Exam (8:00 AM)