Teaching code

4S00097

Credits

6

Coordinator

Adolfo Speghini

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

CHIM/02 - PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

Moodle Seminars 0

The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning objectives

The course aims to provide the student with the fundamental tools, both theoretical and practical, to understand and interpret chemical-physical phenomena concerning systems of biotechnological interest. The student will acquire the ability to apply chemical-physical concepts to real processes in order to quantify thermodynamic, kinetic and spectroscopic observables. In addition, examples concerning the various chemical-physical topics will be illustrated to deepen and complete the theoretical part. The course includes some laboratory experiences in order to provide manual skills and critical ability in facing real chemical-physical problems, and to acquire skills on modern methods and equipment for the measurement of thermodynamic variables and kinetic constants, as well as to study electronic and vibrationals of simple molecules.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Prerequisites are the concepts contained in the courses of Mathematics and Statistics, General and Inorganic Chemistry, Physics and Organic Chemistry. Prerequisites: Mathematics and Statistics, General and Inorganic Chemistry and Physics.

Program

THEORY
Energetic of processes. Work and heat. Internal energy. Enthalpy. Heat capacity.
Enthalpy of phase transition. Enthalpy of reaction and formation.
Entropy and its variation with temperature. Entropy of phase transition. Overview on the statistical interpretation of entropy. Entropy of reaction.
Gibbs free energy and its variation with pressure and temperature. Stability condition and phase diagrams.
Chemical potential. Chemical potential of gas mixtures components and of ideal and real solutions ones. Free energy of mixing for ideal fluids.
Free energy of reaction. Equilibrium and equilibrium constant. Free energy of formation and its use. Variation of the equilibrium constant with the temperature.
The rate of reactions. Rate law and order of reaction. Determination of kinetic laws.
Arrhenius equation. Transition state and activation energy.
Reaction mechanism. Approach to equilibrium. Consecutive reactions. Steady state approximation.
Pre-equilibrium. Rate Determining Step. Chemical reactions controlled by diffusion or activation. Kinetic and thermodynamic control.
Introduction to quantum theory. Particles in confined systems. Harmonic oscillator and molecular vibrations.
Atomic structure. Spin. Pauli exclusion principle.
Valence bond and molecular orbitals. Electronic molecular spectroscopy. Circular dichroism.
Decay of the excited states. Fluorescence and phosphorescence. Fluorescence quenching.
Vibrational spectroscopy. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR).

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The teaching will be carried out as lectures and laboratory experiences. The teaching methods will also include the application of the concepts developed with the lectures for the illustration of solving real problems. Attendance of the teaching is strongly recommended.

Learning assessment procedures

The oral examination will include all the topics of the Course about the theoretical part as well as the examples, exercises and laboratory experiences. Particular attention will be devoted on the Physical Chemistry concepts and the knowledge of the methods, tools and techniques used in laboratory experiences.
For both attending and not attending students the oral examination will cover all the topics discussed in the theoretical part, in the examples and exercises as well as in the laboratory experiences.
Written reports about the the laboratory experiences are required, describing the principles, the used experimental methods and the results obtained during the lab experiences. The reports have to be loaded to the Moodle platform as soon as the lab experiences will be completed.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation criteria will be based on the ability to discursively organize knowledge, critical reasoning on the study carried out, quality of exposure, competence in the use of specialized vocabulary, effectiveness and linearity of exposure.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade will result from the assessment of the learning of the theoretical part and from the learning of laboratory experiences.

Exam language

Italiana