(©2009, François G. Amar, All rights reserved)

Chemistry 475 -- Physical Chemistry III

Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy

January 12 - May 1, 2009

Syllabus 

Meeting time: MWF10:00-10:50 AM       Meeting place: 265 Aubert
Recitation time to be determined

Instructor: Dr. François G. Amar 

   Office: 253 Aubert Hall        Telephone: 581-1196
   e-mail: francois_amar@umit.maine.edu (FirstClass) or amar@maine.edu
   Office hours: M & W from 1:30 to 2:30 PM; 
                   Th from 10 to 11 AM or by appointment.

Text: Physical Chemistry, 6rd edition, by Levine

Online handouts are available here

Dates

Topics

Text

Week 1

1/12

1/14

1/16 
Introduction: Mechanics, Chemistry, and Spectroscopy

Historical development of crisis for classical physics

"Old" quantum theory; Bohr model

 

17.1-2

17.3

Week 2

1/19

1/21

1/23

Martin Luther King Day (NO CLASS)

deBroglie relation; Heisenberg uncertainty principle

(NO CLASS)

 

17.4-5

 

Week 3

1/26

1/28

1/30

The Schrödinger wave equation

Postulates of quantum mechanics

Particle in a 1-D box

17.7

17.6

17.8

Week 4

2/2

2/4

2/6

Particle in a 3-D box

Harmonic oscillator

Vibrational spectroscopy

17.9-10

17.12

20.1-4

Week 5

2/9

2/11

2/13

Rigid rotor

Review

Prelim 1

17.14

 

17.13-14

Week 6

2/16

2/18

2/20

The hydrogen hamiltonian

Spherical polar coordinates, angular momentum

Hydrogen atom solutions

18.1

18.3

18.3

Week 7

2/23

2/25

2/27

Hydrogen atom continued

Angular Momentum and Electron spin

Helium atom ; perturbation theory (handout)

18.3

18.4, 18.5

18.6, 17.15

Break

Weeks

3/2

to

3/15

Week 8

3/16

3/18

3/20

Variation method

Spin and the helium atom

Prelim 2

17.15; handout

 

18.5-6

Week 9

3/23

3/25

3/27

Complex atoms

Hartree-Fock theory

Term symbols

18.7-18.8

18.9

handout

Week 10

3/30

4/1

4/3

Atomic spectroscopy

Born-Oppenheimer approximation for molecules: H2+ ion: the simplest molecule

Molecular orbital theory

handout

19.2-3

19.4

Week 11

4/6

4/8

4/10

Simple valence bond theory

Conjugation and π electron theory; Huckel theory

Harmonic oscillator/Rigid rotor approximation

handout

19.11

 

Week 12

4/13

4/15

4/17

Time dependendent Sch. eqn; superposition states

Einstein coefficients and dipole selection rules

Rovibrational spectroscopy of diatomics

20

20.16, handout

20

Week 13

4/20

4/22

4/24

Homonuclear diatomics and nuclear spin statistics

Molecular spectroscopy of polyatomics

Group theory for polyatomic vibrations

20

 

20 (handout)

Week 14

4/27

4/29

4/30

Laser spectroscopy and photochemistry

Maine Day--no class

Review

handout

 

 

Week 15

5/12 ??

Prelim 4

COURSE RULES:  Attendance is expected at all class periods. Quizzes and exams will be given during the scheduled recitation times. There are no make-ups of exams or quizzes. Help session times will be announced

GRADING POLICY: The class will be graded on the basis of 600 total points. The 4 prelims will be worth 100 points each. The last prelim will be given during final exam week (no cumulative final). Quizzes and in-class work will count for 100 points. Homeworks will count for 100 points. Success in this course depends upon doing problems conscientiously.

If you wish to request an accommodation for a disability, please contact either your instructor or Ann Smith, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities (Onward Building, 1-2319) as early as possible in the semester.

 

WEEKLY SUMMARIES of lecture material and homework assignments will be available on the WEB at

http://chemistry.umeche.maine.edu/~amar/spring2009/syllabus.html

Links to weekly summaries will be provided from this (Syllabus) page with its week-by-week calendar:

 

The syllabus is intended as an overall guide and may be subject to change during the semester. See weekly summary pages for updated assignment information.

 

COMPUTER CONFERENCE: I will be using the FirstClass conference system to contact you with urgent class information. This information will be found in the form of messages posted to the CHY475(Amar) folder on FirstClass. The full hierarchy of relevant folders is:

Desktop:Academics:Semester Courses:Spring Courses:CHY475(Amar) Move this ICON to your FirstClass Desktop so that it will appear each time you logon to FirstClass.

The folder CHY475 can also be used to send me questions that other students can read along with my response. Students can also have a public dialogue in that conference. If you have questions that require a private reading and response, please send e-mail to my FirstClass account rather than the public conference.