Course : Physical Chemistry
 Course Code: ERT 108
 Course Type: Core
 Unit : 3


Pre-requisite of ERT 206 Thermodynamics

Lecturers:
› Miss Anis Atikah binti Ahmad
› Dr Mohd Irfan Hatim

At the end of the course, students are
expected to be:
› Able to define and apply the phenomena,
basic concepts, laws and principles in
physical chemistry
› Able to calculate and solve a problem
concerning physical chemistry.
› Able to illustrate various fundamental laws in
physical chemistry.
Final Exam
(50%)
Mid
Term
Exams
(20%)
Continuous
Assessment
(30%)
• Assignments
(20%)
• Quizzes (10%)

Text Book:
Atkins, P and de Paula, Julia. 2009. Physical
Chemistry. Oxford University Press, 9th Edition.

Reference Books:
› Bahl, B.S.; Bahl, Arun & Tuli, G.D. 2006. Essentials of
Physical Chemistry. S. Chand, New Delhi.
› Paul Monk, 2004. Physical Chemistry, John Wiley &
Sons.
› Levine I. N. , 2002. Physical Chemistry, McGraw Hill, 5th
Edition.
› Silbey R. J., Alberty R. A., Bawendi M. G. 2005.
Physical Chemistry, John Wiley & Son, Inc., 4th Edition.
Minggu/Week
1.

Week 1

(17 Feb-21 Feb) 

Week 2-3
(24 Feb-7
March)
Week 4-5
(10 March-21
March)
2.0

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



3.




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Kandungan Kursus / Course Contents
(Panduan/Guidelines)
Introduction to Physical Chemistry
What is Physical chemistry
Thermodynamics
Variables, relationship & Laws
Physical and Molecular interactions
( 3 hours )
The First Law of Thermodynamics
The First Law of Thermodynamics
Enthalpy
Heat Capacities
The Joule and Joule – Thomson Experiments
Perfect gases and The First Law
Calculation of First Law Quantities
(6 hours)
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
Heat Engines
Entropy
Calculation of entropy changes
Entropy, Reversibility and Irreversibility
The thermodynamics temperature scale
What is entropy?
( 6 hours)
Pensyarah/Lecturer
Miss Anis Atikah
Miss Anis Atikah
Miss Anis Atikah
Minggu/Week
Week 6-7
(24 March-4
Apr)
Kandungan Kursus / Course Contents
(Panduan/Guidelines)
4.0 Material Equilibrium
 Material Equilibrium
 Thermodynamics Properties of Nonequilibrium
System.
 Entropy and Equilibrium
 The Gibbs and Hemholtz Function
 Thermodynamic Relation for a system in
equilibrium
 Calculation of changes in state function
 Phase Equilibrium
 Reaction Equilibrium
(6 hours)
Week 8
(7 Apr-11 Apr)
Week 9
(14 Apr-18 Apr)
Pensyarah/Lecturer
Miss Anis Atikah
CUTI PERTENGAHAN SEMESTER/MID-TERM BREAK
5.0




Standard Thermodynamic Functions of Reaction
Standard States
Standard Enthalpy of Reaction
Standard Enthalpy of Formation
Determination of standard enthalpies of
Formation and Reaction
(3 hours)
Dr Mohd Irfan Hatim
Minggu/Week
Week 10
(21 Apr-25 Apr)
6.




Week 11
(28 Apr- 2 May)
Week 12
(5 May- 9 May)
6.
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

Kandungan Kursus / Course Contents
(Panduan/Guidelines)
Reaction Equilibrium in Ideal Gas Mixture
Chemical Potential in an Ideal Gas Mixture
Ideal-Gas Reaction equilibrium
Temperature Dependence of the Equilibrium
constant
Ideal-Gas equilibrium Calculations
(4 hours)
Chemical Kinetics
Experimental Chemical and Kinetic Reactions.
First Order Reactions
Second Order Reactions
Reaction Rates and Reaction Mechanisms
Light Spectroscopy and adsorption Chemistry.
(4 hours)
8.0 Phase Diagrams
 Definitions
 The Phase Rule
 Two-component Systems
 Vapour Pressure Diagrams
 Temperature-composition Diagrams
 Liquid-liquid Phase Diagrams
 Liquid-solid Phase Diagrams
(4 hours)
Pensyarah/Lecturer
Dr Mohd Irfan Hatim
Dr Mohd Irfan Hatim
Dr Mohd Irfan Hatim
Minggu/Week
Week 13-14
(12 May- 23
May)
Kandungan Kursus / Course Contents
(Panduan/Guidelines)
9.0
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Equilibrium Electrochemistry
Half-reactions and electrodes
Varieties of Cells
The Electromotive Force
Standard Potentials
Applications of standard potentials
Impact on Biochemistry : Energy Conversion in
Biological Cells
(6 hours)
Week 15
(26 May-30
May)
MINGGU ULANGKAJI / REVISION WEEK
Week 16-17
(2 June -13
June)
PEPERIKSAAN AKHIR SEMESTER / FINAL EXAMINATION
Pensyarah/Lecturer
Dr Mohd Irfan Hatim

What is Physical Chemistry?
› the study of the underlying physical
principles that govern the properties &
behaviour of chemical systems.
Macroscopic
Large-scale
properties of
matter
Microscopic
Concepts of
molecules
Chemical
system

Can be classified into 4 main areas:
Quantum
chemistry
Kinetics
Statistical
mechanics
Thermodynamics

Quantum chemistry: application of
quantum mechanics to atomic structure,
molecular bonding & spectroscopy

Thermodynamics: Macroscopic science
that studies:
i. the interrelationships of the various
equilibrium properties of a system &
ii. the changes in equilibrium properties in
process

Statistical mechanics: relate quantum
chemistry with thermodynamics.
› Gives insight into why laws of
thermodynamics hold & allows calculation
of macroscopic thermodynamic properties
from molecular properties.

Kinetics: study of rate processes.
› Examples: chemical reaction, diffusion &
flow of charge in an electrochemical cell.

Is the study of heat, work, energy and
the changes they produce in the state of
the systems.
Work
Energy
Heat
•Work is done to achieve motion
against an opposing force
•Example: process of raising a weight
against the pull of gravity
•Energy is the capacity to do work
•Heat is the transfer of energy as a
results of a temperature difference
between the system & it
surroundings
System
Part of the universe
under study in
thermodynamics
Eg: reaction vessel,
engine, biological cell
Universe
Surroundings
The region outside the
system that can interact
with the system

Type of system:
Matter
System
System
Energy
Open system
(can exchange matter & energy)
System
Energy
Closed system
(no transfer of matter,
can exchange energy)
Isolated system
(can exchange neither
energy nor matter)

Walls: a system may be separated from
its surrounding by various kind of walls:
› Rigid or nonrigid (movable)
› Permeable (allow matter to pass through) or
impermeable
› Adiabatic (does not conduct heat at all) or
nonadiabatic

Extensive property : property that
depends on the amount of substance
present in the sample
› Eg: mass, volume

Intensive property: property that is
independent of the amount of substance
› E.g., mass density, pressure and
temperature)
Hints on how to study Physical Chemistry:
 Summarize each set of notes on one page in an organized
form that helps to isolate all key points: “nerd notes”
 Download all available handouts, including equation
sheets
 Start working on problems with the equation sheets a.s.a.p.
and do not fall behind
 Physical Chemistry is not a “memory-based”, learn-by-rote
discipline, but is centred upon problem-based learning.
However, you must practice solving problems, deriving
equations, etc. to become proficient.
 Review assigned and in-class problems
 Attend tutorials
 View animations and use other web resources