Department of Chemistry & BiochemistryThe University Of Oklahoma
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CHEM 5123: Statistical Mechanics

Syllabus
Location and time: CHB 314, TUE/TH 1:30 to 2:45 pm
Office hour: TUE/TH after class or by appointment (CHB 309)

Schedule (subject to change)

Dates Topics Reading Home work Notes

Aug 25, 27

Review of probability, combinatorics, distribution functions, extreme principles, equilibrium state, lattice model

Chap. 1, 2

1.10, 1.16, 1.20, 1.21, 2.1, 2.4
Chap 1
Chap 2
Sept 1, 3
Stirling's approximation, Random walk, Gaussian distribution, entropy, Boltzmann law Chap. 3, 4, 6   Misc
Chap 6
Sept 8, 10 Fundamental thermodynamic equations, how the principle of maximum entropy drives thermal, mechanical and chemical processes, free energies, heat capacity Chap. 7, 8 7.6, 7.7, 8.1, 8.13 8.14 Chap 7
Chap 8
Sept 15, 17 Fundamental functions, Maxwell relations, partition function, probability distributions for different ensembles Chap. 9,10 10.4, 10.5, 10.7, 10.11, 10.12, 10.13 Chap 9
Chap 10
Sept 22, 24 Statistical mechanics for gas, microscopic interpretation of temperature and heat capacity Chap. 11, 12 11.8 11.9, 11.10, 11.16, 12.1, 12.3, 12.4 12.5 Chap 11
Chap 12
Sept 29, Oct 1 Equilibrium constants from partition function, temperature and pressure dependence, liquid-vapor phase equilibria, surface tension Chap. 13, 14   Chap 13
Chap 14
Oct 8 Mid-term exam Review   keys 
Oct 13, 15  Free energy of mixing for ideal and regular solutions, interfacial tension, transfer molecules between liquid and vapor phases Chap. 14, 15, 16 14.2, 14.4, 14.7, 15.1, 15.5, 16.8, 16.11, 16.15, 16.18 Chap 15
Chap 16
Oct 20, 22 Friction, diffusion, time correlation function, Langevin dynamics, intermolecular interactions, radial distribution functions Chap. 18, 24 18.1, 18.4, 18.6, 18.7, 18.8, 18.11, 18.12, 24.6 Chap 18
Chap 24
Oct 27, 29 Liquid-liquid and liquid-gas phase transitions, phase diagram, microscopic interpretation, Landau model Chap. 25, 26   Chap 25
Chap 26
Nov 3, 5 Cooperative and non-cooperative models for helix-coil transitions, Zimm-Bragg model, Ising model Chap. 26, 27 25.1, 25.12, 25.17, 26.1, 26.6, 26.10, 26.12 Chap 26
Nov 10, 12 Langmuir model for adsorption, binding and catalysis, multi-site ligand binding, binding polynomial, binding cooperativity Chap. 27, 28 27.5, 27.9, 28.6, 28.8, 28.15 Chap 27
Chap 28
Nov 17, 19 Water Chap. 29, 30   Chap 29
Chap 30
Nov 24, 26 Polymer solution, polymer elasticity Chap. 31, 32    
Dec 1, 3 Polymer Chap. 32, 33    
Dec 8, 10   review    
Dec 15 final exam