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 outcomes

THEORY: the Course aims to provide the students with the basic tools for understanding and interpreting chemico-physical phenomena concerning systems of biological and biotechnological interest, also through the use of theoretical models. The student will acquire the ability to apply chemical-physical concepts to real processes in order to quantify observables, of thermodynamic, transport, kinetic and spectroscopic type. Some example cases on various physical-chemical aspects will be considered in order to familiarize the student with solution of real problems. LABORATORY: the course also includes some laboratory experiences to provide manual skills and critical skills in dealing with real chemico-physical problems, as well as providing knowledge on modern methods and equipment for the measurement of thermodynamic variables, kinetic constants, colloidal properties as well as for studying electronic and vibrational properties of molecules.

Program

THEORY
Energetic of processes. Work and heat. Internal energy. Enthalpy. Heat capacity.
Enthalpy of phase transition. Enthalpy of reaction and its variation with temperature.
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. 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. Molecular spectroscopy. Circular dichroism.
Decay of the excited states. Fluorescence and phosphorescence. Fluorescence quenching.
Vibrational spectroscopy. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
Basics on Boltzmann distribution.

Basics of colloids.

LABORATORY EXPERIENCES
1) Evaluation of the thermal capacity of a calorimeter and neutralization reaction enthalpy through calorimetric measurements;
2) Determination of the kinetic parameters for the reaction of hydrogen peroxide with iodine ion in acidic solution.
3) Measure of the dissociation constant for a pH indicator by absorption spectra in the UV-visible region as a function of pH.
4) Simulation of absorption spectra in the UV-visible range of simple molecules.

Bibliography

Examination Methods

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.