Advice for Physical Chemistry

[achamess]

Hello all,
I am going to be taking Physical Chemistry I in the fall. I have heard many peoplpe lament about the abstruse nature of Physical Chemistry. For those of you who have taken P-chem and have excelled in it, I would appreciate any advice or tips you could give me. Are there any things you wish you had known before taking this class? Were your study habits based heavily on problem solving or did you benefit more from qualitative analysis? Also, as concerns the mathematics, did you do any refreshing in calculus and maybe linear algebra before taking the class?

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[sop3218]

PChem isn't like any other chemistry course that you have had - it's more like a math class! There will be some problem-solving, but mostly it is a matter of understanding concepts through equations. Make sure that you know the different equations and following proofs, but most of all, but able to "see" the equations. (By that, I mean that you should know how each term in an equation relates to the entity being described). Given all of that, I would definitely recommend reviewing calculus (especially Calc III if you've had it) and looking over Linear and Differential Equations wouldn't hurt either.

PChem is an awesome course, have a blast. And if you end up having difficulty and your prof isn't enough help, you might seek out a friendly math major or professor. Last bit of advice - keep track of the minus signs. I can't tell you how many classmates missed an "A" because they would drop a negative sign somewhere through their calculations. Best of luck!

 

[TeaLeef]

I would review solving differential equations. I didn't use any linear algebra. I was really scared of p-chem as well, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. Don't just memorize equations, but try to intuitively understand what they represent. Most of my exams required writing proofs, so definitely know how equations are derived from the more basic, easy equations. Just keep up with the work. You'll be okay.

 

[MundaneMD]

Don't just memorize equations

Yup, start putting them in your calculator instead.

PChem 1 (Thermodynamics, Kinetics, etc.) wasn't that bad. A good knowledge of deriving and implicit differentiation will do.

PChem 2 (Quantum Mechanics) was scary for the first few weeks, but it became "do-able" after doing practice problems over and over. Still, I'd rather take the MCAT over a PChem 2 exam anyday. 👎

 

[achamess]

Thank you guys for the useful advice. I am looking forward to this class, because I think a more mathematical treatment of thermodynamics, equilibria and the like will give me a deeper understanding of chemical principles. I was one of those "weirdos" who really liked Organic Chemistry, and I hope to develop the same passion for P-chem; however, I just don't want to be caught off by guard once the semester begins by finding out I lack some essential skill necessary for excellence in P-chem. I've been using a book called "The Chemistry Maths Book" from OUP. It is very concise and directed mainly at the math topics that an undergraduate chemistry major is likely to encounter. I have not taken Calc III or Linear Algebra, and neither of these are pre-reqs for the class, but for what its worth, I am going to try to familiarize myself with these two sub-branches just in case they work their way in to the coursework, which I think they will.

We're going to use the book by Atkins, but I've heard mixed reviews about this book. Do you guys have any recommendations for extra help? I've heard good things about McQuarrie.

Thanks

 

[MundaneMD]

We used the Atkins book as well. This book was pretty good in my opinion. The only thing I hated about the book was that they only had solutions to the odd numbered problems (or was it even? one or the other...) in the Solutions Manual. I would recommend searching for the Teacher's Edition on Ebay or something. It has the other half of the solutions. That way, when you're stuck doing the long problems, you don't waste hours upon hours only to figure out that 2x3 = 6, not 5.

 

[njbmd]

Hello all,
I am going to be taking Physical Chemistry I in the fall. I have heard many peoplpe lament about the abstruse nature of Physical Chemistry. For those of you who have taken P-chem and have excelled in it, I would appreciate any advice or tips you could give me. Are there any things you wish you had known before taking this class? Were your study habits based heavily on problem solving or did you benefit more from qualitative analysis? Also, as concerns the mathematics, did you do any refreshing in calculus and maybe linear algebra before taking the class?

Be sure that you are quite comfortable with using math as a tool to solve problems. There isn't much memorization but there's loads of derivations. You need to be thoroughly comfortable with math through elementary differential equations.

There are little math books out there called Math for P.Chem etc. Check out one of those before you begin the class. The labs are neat and the information is very interesting. Qualitative Analysis isn't going to help you much with Physical Chemistry. P-Chem subject matter centers around the physics of chemistry such as Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Atomic and Nuclear Chemistry.

You need to be able to solve problems as they relate to the concepts that are being studied. I didn't spend as much time solving P-Chem problems as General Chemistry problems. Seek help when you don't understand things and you should be fine provided your math is up to par.

 

[RxnMan]

This is an excellent text - before each chemistry chapter, there is a math section that teaches you the math you'll need to solve the problems of that chapter. Very well written, easy to read, and I cannot tell you how many times I found the equation I needed just by looking through it's pages.

http://www.uscibooks.com/mcq.htm

Get familiar with calculations involving series, eigenfunctions and eigen values, and logarithms. Be familiar with basic thermo (PV = nRT basic) If you're doing estimates of relative wave energies (i.e., applying symmetry rules to molecules) get a set of tinker toys to help you visualize the problem.

 

[booji]

This is an excellent text - before each chemistry chapter, there is a math section that teaches you the math you'll need to solve the problems of that chapter. Very well written, easy to read, and I cannot tell you how many times I found the equation I needed just by looking through it's pages.

http://www.uscibooks.com/mcq.htm

Get familiar with calculations involving series, eigenfunctions and eigen values, and logarithms. Be familiar with basic thermo (PV = nRT basic) If you're doing estimates of relative wave energies (i.e., applying symmetry rules to molecules) get a set of tinker toys to help you visualize the problem.

I really have to mention that the McQuarrie book that RxnMan mentions is indeed an excellent textbook. It uses a molecular approach, meaning that you begin P-Chem with quatum mechanics and then move on to thermodynamics and kinetics. I think the best way to tackle Pchem, like many have mentioned, is to know the required mathematics. There were many students in my class that did not have the required math skills to be able to solve the equations, and ended up doing poorly. But in any case, i wouldn't worry about it...if you need any help, feel free to PM me.

 

[achamess]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
I really would like to add that McQuarrie book to my collection, if for no other reason than I like to collect books : ) But seriously, I've looked at that book and I am impressed with the layout and the pedagogy. I also like the applied math interludes. As far as my own math skills are concerned, I have always done well with math, but I've only gone up to Calc II. Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calc. are not pre-reqs for this course, I imagine whatever advanced math finds its way into this class will be amply explained by the teacher; however, I want to get a leg up and not be dependent on him to explain things, so I think I am going to ask him beforehand what I might want to work on before the year begins. I've really enjoyed this Chemistry Maths book and for any chemistry majors out there who want a very concise yet thorough survey of relevant mathematics for any of the physical sciences, I highly recommend this book.

 

[mterp45]

Hey I took it and got a 94% in the course. It is supposedly the toughest couse in the chem department at my school and I got a 90% and above on every exam when the averages were around 45% for each test, thus you are probably wondering how I did it, well I just did every problem in the book TWICE. So practice, practice, practice and you'll get an A.

 

[bluesTank]

Do whatever your prof tells you to do. If he gets info for tests from the book, read the book like a biatch. If he gets his info from some notes then study the notes (I had both in pChem I and then II). If they dont tell you then ask...

Bottom line: If youre prof is an dingus, then you will be miserable and it will be a long semester. If he is approachable and willing to help, then it will be bette (still rough).

Good luck

 

[novawildcat]

PChem is overrated for its difficulty. Something like Inorganic chemistry is much harder IMO.

The reason a lot of people bomb Pchem is because they simply can't do algebra and have totally forgotten how to do a lot of calculus. Pchem could really be called "Advanced General Chemistry". You learn almost all of the same stuff as you did in Gen chem, but with a more rigorous treatment. You don't need multivariable calc or diff eq. to pass PChem because you won't be doing hardcore iterated integrals or diff eqs. You will be able to easily understand the diff eq. and multivariable calc that you will see in Pchem if you did well in Calc I and II.


Example: if I ask you to give me a function f(x) such that the f '(x)=af(x), where a is just some constant, can you give me what f(x) equals?














If you said something like e^x or e^ix congratulations, you can do a lot of QM already.

 

[medguy83]

P-chem was awesome, but really intense. From my experience I think most schools start out pchem 1 with thermodynamics; there would be no way they'd throw you in quantum without some prior experience. Anyways, for me pchem1 was essentially a math course. Let's face it, the most intensive math you usually used in gen chem was algebra. Here, it's basically calculus-based chemistry. Suffice it to say you should really understand calculus. Purely memorizing how to differentiate or integrate without understanding why will only get you so far. Most of the math in pchem1 is basic calculus, integrals and derivatives; only thing you will need are partial derivatives. Brush up on your math and you should do fine. The really neat thing that I liked about the course was the ability to actually derive all of the equations that we usually take for granted; gas laws, gibbs free energy, etc.

Once you hit pchem 2, watch out. If you want to get a B.S. in chem at most institutions you'll have to take it. It's the most difficult course you'll probably ever take as an undergrad. The math, concepts, and material are complex and intense. Again, math, math, math! the chemistry will take care of itself.

 

[medguy83]

I actually agree that inorganic was pretty intense as well. I don't know why a lot of people say it was easy; maybe based on the professor. For me, I could quote pages about the jahn-teller effect on my exams and my prof would give partial credit and then write a comment in red ink in the margin stating "why?" 😱

 

[bluesTank]

Example: if I ask you to give me a function f(x) such that the f '(x)=af(x), where a is just some constant, can you give me what f(x) equals?














If you said something like e^x or e^ix congratulations, you can do a lot of QM already.

Good ol' eigenfunctions.

 

[Psychotropic]

P-Chem is all about being patient, and being able to understand the equations and how they are derived. Spend time making sure you understand, thoroughly, what is going on. Above all, don't sweat it too much. It's a great subject that is worth taking (in my opinion). Don't let the math overwhelm you-it's not that bad. Best of luck.