Quanta, Matter, and Change

From its formative days spent exploring the bulk properties of matter, physical chemistry as a discipline is now being reinvigorated by our ever-increasing understanding of the properties of matter at the molecular level. Quanta, Matter, and Change unravels a traditional course in physical chemistry and recasts it from this new molecular perspective. It provides the foundation for students to explore the subject from this new, intellectually engaging angle. Beginning with quantum theory, the book establishes the link with the macroscopic world by introducing statistical thermodynamics, before showing how thermodynamics is used to describe the bulk properties of matter. Reformulating familiar concepts in new ways, the book also explores the latest practical tools, the most significant among them being computational chemistry. The attention to educational value has always been a hallmark of Peter Atkins' texts, and nowhere more so than in Quanta, Matter, and Change. All aspects of the learning process are fully supported, including the understanding of terminology, notation, mathematical concepts, and the application of physical chemistry to other branches of science. Building on the heritage of the world-renowned Atkins' Physical Chemistry, Quanta, Matter, and Change gives a refreshing new insight into the familiar by illuminating physical chemistry from a new direction. Online Resource Centre The Online Resource Centre features: For registered adopters of the book: * Figures and tables of data from the book, ready to download. For students: * Living Graphs, to explore how a property changes as a variety of parameters are changed. * Web links to a range of additional physical chemistry resources on the web. * Group theory tables, available for downloading.