Stream Leader
Prof Alethea Tabor: a.b.tabor@ucl.ac.uk
Aims
Physical Chemistry is concerned with understanding the structure and property of matter and the factors that govern the rates and pathway of chemical reactions. Students following this stream will learn the fundamental theories behind spectroscopy, kinetics, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, electrochemistry, solid structures and surface processes.
Objectives
Students who complete this stream will understand:
- the laws governing the transformation of energy that takes place during chemical reactions and when matter changes state
- the electronic structure of atoms and molecules and the arrangement of electrons occupying defined quantised energy levels
- how electromagnetic radiation is absorbed or emitted by atoms or molecules, and the relationships between this spectroscopic information and the structure
- the theory and approaches required to analyse the rate of chemical change and to determine the mechanisms for a reaction
- how to make physical measurements and how to analyse this data to determine physical properties, such as bond lengths, and rate and enthalpies of reaction
- Year 1
All Physical Chemistry stream students take:
and must pick 15 credits from:
- Year 2
All Physical Chemistry stream students must take:
and may take 0 -15 credits of (depending on their option in year 1):
- Year 3
All Physical Chemistry stream students must take:
If students major in Physical Chemistry they take:
Students majoring take 15 - 30 credits and students minoring take 0 - 15 credits of the following:
- New Directions in Materials Chemistry (CHEM0039)
- another other third year chemistry module (to be agreed with Stream Leader)
- Year 4
All students majoring in Physical Chemistry take:
- Advanced Chemical Research Project (CHEM0080) - MSci Research Project
Students majoring take 15 - 45 credits and students minoring take 0 - 30 credits of the following:
- Topics in Modern Chemistry (CHEM0077) - 15 credits, 3 topics from ~25
- Topics in Modern Chemistry (CHEM0078) - 30 credits, 6 topics from ~25
- Topics in Modern Chemistry (CHEM0079) - 45 credits, 9 topics from ~25
The Physical Chemistry stream combines with:
- Geosciences
- Astrophysics
- Physics
- Mathematics and Statistics
- History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science