Chemical Kinetics
This course provides an introduction to statistical mechanics and chemical kinetics, offering a framework for understanding how the properties and interactions of individual molecules give rise to the observable behaviour of chemical systems. Students will begin by exploring basic probability theory—including permutations, combinations, and the counting principle—which serves as a foundation for calculating the number of microstates available to a system. These tools are essential for developing the concepts of entropy, the Boltzmann distribution, and the statistical interpretation of thermodynamic quantities.
The course then introduces ensemble theory, with a focus on the canonical ensemble and the role of the partition function in linking microscopic states to macroscopic thermodynamic properties such as internal energy, free energy, and heat capacity. Students will apply these ideas to chemical equilibrium, using partition functions to derive expressions for equilibrium constants and understand the molecular basis of equilibrium behaviour.
In the second part of the course, students will examine the fundamentals of chemical kinetics. Topics include molecular collisions, energy distributions, and the factors that influence reaction rates. Collision theory and transition state theory are used to develop models for estimating rate constants and understanding the effect of temperature and molecular structure on reaction speed. The course also covers methods for analyzing kinetic data, evaluating multi-step mechanisms, and applying mathematical tools such as the steady-state and pre-equilibrium approximations to derive reaction rate laws.
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