Physical Chemistry I
Undergraduate · Chemistry
Syllabus focus
Standard syllabus · Theoretical / proof-based
Pricing calculator
Choose materials, tutoring, or both — or book a single session as needed. Customize your plan on the subscribe page.
Billed in 15-minute increments (15-minute minimum, up to 4 hours). No subscription required.
$60.00 · 60 min · Undergraduate · Online ($60/hr)
Book through intake or schedule a session.
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Laws of thermodynamics
- State functions, path functions, and exact differentials
- Zeroth law and temperature scales
- First law: internal energy, heat, and work
- Enthalpy, heat capacity, and Kirchhoff's equation
- Second law: entropy and Clausius inequality
- Third law and absolute entropy
- Gibbs and Helmholtz free energies
- Maxwell relations and thermodynamic identities
- Chemical potential and partial molar quantities
- Spontaneity criteria for chemical reactions
Phase equilibria and solutions
- Phase diagrams: unary and binary systems
- Clausius–Clapeyron equation
- Raoult's law and ideal solutions
- Henry's law and ideal dilute solutions
- Colligative properties: derivation and applications
- Activity, activity coefficients, and nonideality
- Gibbs phase rule and component analysis
- Liquid–vapor equilibrium and distillation (thermodynamic view)
- Solid–liquid equilibrium and eutectics
- Osmotic pressure and membrane equilibria
Chemical equilibrium and electrochemistry
- Equilibrium constant from standard Gibbs energy
- Temperature dependence: van't Hoff equation
- Multicomponent equilibrium and reaction coordinates
- Standard states for gases, solutions, and solids
- Electrochemical cells and thermodynamic cell potentials
- Nernst equation from chemical potential
- Reference electrodes and standard hydrogen electrode
- Ion activities and Debye–Hückel theory (introduction)
- Surface and interfacial thermodynamics (overview)
- Coupled reactions and equilibrium constraints
Chemical kinetics
- Rate laws and mechanistic interpretation
- Integrated rate laws and half-lives
- Temperature dependence: Arrhenius and Eyring equation (intro)
- Collision theory and transition state theory (overview)
- Steady-state approximation and pre-equilibrium
- Chain reactions: explosion limits and inhibition
- Catalysis: Michaelis–Menten and enzyme kinetics
- Fast reactions and relaxation methods (introduction)
- Reaction dynamics and potential energy surfaces (overview)
- Experimental methods: spectroscopic and flow techniques
Theoretical / proof-based
Rigorous thermodynamic foundations
- Mathematical treatment of state functions and differentials
- Proof of entropy as a state function
- Carnot cycle and efficiency limits
- Derivation of Maxwell relations from exact differentials
- Jacobian methods in thermodynamics (where covered)
- Legendre transforms and thermodynamic potentials
- Stability criteria: concavity of Gibbs energy
- Phase coexistence and equality of chemical potentials (proof)
- Statistical definition of entropy: S = k ln W
- Connecting microscopic and macroscopic thermodynamics
Statistical mechanics introduction
- Microstates, macrostates, and Boltzmann distribution
- Partition functions for ideal gases and two-level systems
- Internal energy and entropy from partition functions
- Equipartition theorem and classical limits
- Quantum statistical mechanics preview: Fermi–Dirac, Bose–Einstein
- Ideal crystal models and heat capacity of solids
- Configurational entropy in mixing and polymers (intro)
- Fluctuations and correlation functions (overview)
- Ensemble theory: canonical and microcanonical (introduction)
- Linking statistical mechanics to kinetic theory
Notes
Often the first semester of a two-semester physical chemistry sequence. Topics reflect common Physical Chemistry I syllabi at US universities (Atkins, McQuarrie, Engel & Reid). Strong calculus and prior general chemistry background expected.