Physical Chemistry II and Laboratory 1

Module Physical Chemistry II and laboratory (Module 2)

The course aims to provide students with specific knowledge in the field of Physical Chemistry.

The educational program is primarily designed to develop a solid understanding of the fundamental theoretical principles and to transfer this knowledge to the technical and practical level through appropriately designed laboratory activities.

The course contributes to the acquisition of the following transferable skills:

• Knowledge and understanding: develop inductive and deductive reasoning skills and gain an understanding of chemical bonding, molecular spectroscopy, and chemical kinetics.
• Applying knowledge and understanding: be able to apply the acquired knowledge to rationally describe the electronic structure and molecular geometry of molecules; acquire the ability to investigate the kinetics of chemical reactions from both theoretical and experimental perspectives.
• Making judgements: develop critical thinking skills and the ability to relate theoretical models to the behavior of molecules.
• Communication skills: demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject through the appropriate use of scientific terminology and rigorous scientific reasoning.
• Learning skills: demonstrate well-developed learning and independent study skills to understand chemical and physicochemical phenomena and processes.

Information for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (SLD):

In order to ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current legislation, students who require accommodations may request an individual meeting to discuss and arrange appropriate compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, taking into account the course learning objectives and their specific needs.

The course is organized into three complementary components:

• Lectures introducing the theoretical background and the laboratory activities.
• Laboratory sessions, during which students carry out the planned experimental work.
• Computer-based practical sessions focused on the processing and interpretation of experimental data.

Attendance is normally compulsory.

Partial or full exemptions from the attendance requirement, in addition to those provided for under Article 27 of the University Academic Regulations, may be granted by the Degree Programme Board upon submission of a justified request that is deemed valid by the Board.

Course contents: Laboratory safety; analysis and interpretation of experimental data, including an introduction to error theory; chemical kinetics; introduction to spectroscopy; introduction to the thermodynamics of surfaces and interfaces.

Laboratory experiments:

• Kinetics of the iodination of acetone
• Kinetics of the hydrolysis of ethyl acetate
• Verification of the Stern–Volmer equation
• FT-IR spectra of carbonyl compounds in the solid and liquid states
• Electronic absorption spectrum of iodine
• Electronic absorption spectra of conjugated polyenes
• Absorption, excitation, and fluorescence spectra of anthracene
• Surface wettability
• Langmuir isotherms

Physical Chemistry II

Students are free to use, either instead of or in addition to the recommended textbooks, any other university-level textbook on Physical Chemistry and Molecular Spectroscopy.

Recommended textbooks:

• D. A. McQuarrie, J. D. Simon, Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, University Science Books.
• G. K. Vemulapalli, Physical Chemistry, Prentice Hall.
• P. W. Atkins, J. de Paula, Physical Chemistry, Oxford University Press.
• P. W. Atkins, R. S. Friedman, Molecular Quantum Mechanics, Oxford University Press.
• J. M. Hollas, Modern Spectroscopy, Wiley.

• Lecture notes and slides, and further didactic material directly supplied by the teacher

Module II

Recommended reading:

• Lecture notes and course handouts.
• Julio de Paula, Peter Atkins, Physical Chemistry, Zanichelli.
• J. R. Taylor, An Introduction to Error Analysis.

The assessment, integrated with Module 1, is designed to evaluate:

• the acquisition of the fundamental concepts covered in the course and the ability to relate them to one another and to the laboratory experiments carried out during the course;
• the ability to present scientific concepts clearly and accurately using appropriate scientific terminology;
• the ability to process and quantitatively interpret experimental data by applying the concepts and methodologies acquired throughout the course.

The examination consists of a non-binding preliminary written test, intended to assess the acquisition of the minimum core concepts from the three sections of the syllabus and the ability to apply them to the solution of simple problems similar to those addressed during the course. Students who obtain a score below 15/30 in the preliminary test are strongly advised not to proceed to the oral examination.

The oral examination will include both the discussion of one laboratory experiment and questions on the theoretical topics covered in the course. The final grade will take into account both the performance in the oral examination and the laboratory reports.

Laboratory reports for all experiments carried out during the course are required. They must be submitted electronically to the instructor (in Word or PDF format) at least 15 days before the chosen examination date.

• Describe the laboratory procedures used to verify the Stern–Volmer equation.
• What is meant by an allowed transition?
• Describe the visible absorption spectrum of I₂ and explain its features from a theoretical point of view.