Physical Chemistry Ii with Lab

Chemical Kinetics: Rate expressions and rate constants. First order, second order, zero order reactions. Parallel, consecutive and opposite reactions, the steady state approximation; the reaction mechanism, the rate determining step.
Temperature effects on the reaction rates: the Arrhenius equation, the collisions theory for bimolecular and unimolecular reactions; the transition state theory, potential energy surfaces, the Eyring equation, the activation parameters.
Acid-base and enzymatic catalysis. Heterogeneous catalysis: adsorption, the Langmuir-Hishelwood mechanism. Chain reactions, explosive reactions. Kinetic aspects of photoinduced reactions and of photocatalysis.
The thermodynamic description of mixtures. The basis of chemical thermodynamic. Non ideal behavior, fugacity. Phase transitions: phase stability, phase diagrams. The thermodynamics of mixing; ideal, ideal-dilute and real solutions. The activity of the solvent and of the solute. The colligative properties. Phase diagrams of binary systems: temperature-composition diagrams, liquid-liquid phase diagrams, liquid-solid phase diagrams.
Molecular interactions. Electric properties of molecules: electric dipole moments, polarizability, polarization. Interactions between dipoles, repulsive and total interactions.

The course contents reflect the objectives and learning outcomes:
- thermodynamics of the galvanic cell;
- the Volta, surface and Galvani potentials; the electrochemical potential; formation of the electric double layer. The double layer models of Helmholtz, Guy-Chapmann and Stern;
- Debye Huckel's limit law;
- Electrochemical kinetics: Butler Volmer equation and Tafel equation;
- The limiting current density;
- Introduction to Pourbaix diagrams.

Laboratory experiences
· Kinetics of acidic hydrolysis of an ester;
· Kinetics of the Clock reaction;
· Enzymatic kinetics;
· Kinetics of the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction on the rotating disk electrode;
· Kinetics of the bromination of a ketone