Molecular Reaction Dynamics and Chemical Reactivity

This is a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on kinetics or chemical physics. It deals with the molecular-level mechanism of elementary chemical reactions. The goal is an understanding of chemical reactivity and physical rate processes from the fundamental, microscopic point of view, from atom-atom interactions all the way to the molecular-level description of catalysis. Primary attention is devoted to phenomena and their conceptual interpretation rather than to the details of experimental techniques or theories. The subject is developed assuming only an elementary background in physical chemistry, guiding the reader from well-known principles to state-of-the-art research results. Topics discussed include dynamics of molecular collisions; intermolecular potentials and potential energy surfaces; molecular and ion beam scattering; 'direct' vs. 'complex' modes of reaction, reagent state selection and product/state analysis: energy partitioning and surprisal analysis; photofragmentation and multiphoton dissociation; electronic, vibrational and rotational energy transfer, chemical lasers and laser chemistry.
The writers have collaborated over many years and are the co-authors of the precursor volume Molecular Reaction Dynamics (Oxford 1974). Readership: students of and researchers in physical chemistry.