Thermodynamics: Classical To Statistical

Overview

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This course is intended for final year BSc (in Chemistry) as well as for MSc (in Chemistry) and PhD (in Chemistry) students and it is assumed that no previous knowledge of the subject is required. Moreover, this course demonstrates the form physical and statistical basis of thermodynamics by showing how the properties of macroscopic systems are direct consequences of the behaviors of their elementary constituents. Thus this course will give the students a broader spectrum of skills as well as a better understanding of the physical bases.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Any interested learnersPREREQUISITES: Nil

Syllabus

COURSE LAYOUT

Week 1: Properties of ideal gases and how they differ from real gases, first law of thermodynamicsWeek 2: Concepts of state and path functions (with examples); Proof of work and heat as path functions and internal energy as state function
Week 3: Activity, activity coefficient, Debye-Hückel theory for activity coefficient of electrolytic solutions; determination of activity, activity
coefficients and ionic strength.
Week 4: Phase diagram of two component systems (with examples).
Week 5: One dimensional random walk and its importance
Week 6: Canonical ensemble and calculation of different thermodynamical quantities such as average pressure, average energy.
Week 7: Translational partition function
Week 8: Rotational and vibrational partition function
Week 9: Quantum Statistics of ideal gases. Identical particles and symmetry requirements.
Week 10:Quantum distribution functions: Bose-Einstein Statistics
Week 11:Ideal Bose gas
Week 12:Ortho and para hydrogen