Understanding Physical Chemistry takes an innovative approach to teaching this fundamentally important subject, by stressing core ideas such as the entropic forces that drive all chemical processes and the quantum states that dictate the structures and colors of atoms and molecules. This elegant and streamlined textbook (of under 400 pages) aims to instill a deep understanding of physical chemistry by focusing exclusively on those ideas that are deemed to be either too important or too interesting to exclude. These core ideas are demystified by explaining where they come from, why they make sense, and how they may be applied to understanding topics ranging from molecular spectroscopy and chemical reactivity to biological self-assembly and liquid computer simulation strategies. Another unique feature of this groundbreaking textbook is the insight it provides into the scientific discovery process by highlighting the personal perspectives and conceptual struggles of people such as Gibbs, Einstein, and Schroedinger, who pioneered this interesting and practically important field.

About the Author

Dor Ben-Amotz is a professor of Physical Chemistry at Purdue University. He recieved his?B.A. in 1976 from Bennington College, his?M.A. in 1981 from?Brandeis University and his Ph.D. in?1986 from the University of California, Berkeley.?Ben-Amotz was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Exxon Corporate Research Laboratory from 1986-1989. Since beginning his career at Purdue in 1989, he has mentored and provided hands-on research opportunities to more than 40 undergraduate students.

Book Information
ISBN 9781118724491
Author Dor Ben-Amotz
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint John Wiley & Sons Inc
Publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc
Weight(grams) 794g
Dimensions(mm) 277mm * 216mm * 15mm