The Physical Basis of Thermodynamics
With Applications to Chemistry
Published on 29. October 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
XXIX, 442 pages
978-1-4613-5455-0 (ISBN)
Description
Given that thermodynamics books are not a rarity on the market, why would an additional one be useful? The answer is simple: at any level, thermodynamics is usually taught as a somewhat abstruse discipline where many students get lost in a maze of difficult concepts. However, thermodynamics is not as intricate a subject as most people feel. This book fills a niche between elementary textbooks and mathematically oriented treatises, and provides readers with a distinct approach to the subject. As indicated by the title, this book explains thermodynamic phenomena and concepts in physical terms before proceeding to focus on the requisite mathematical aspects. It focuses on the effects of pressure, temperature and chemical composition on thermodynamic properties and places emphasis on rapidly evolving fields such as amorphous materials, metastable phases, numerical simulations of microsystems and high-pressure thermodynamics. Topics like redox reactions are dealt with in less depth, due to the fact that there is already much literature available. Without requiring a background in quantum mechanics, this book also illustrates the main practical applications of statistical thermodynamics and gives a microscopic interpretation of temperature, pressure and entropy.
This book is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students who already have a basic knowledge of thermodynamics and who wish to truly understand the subject and put it in a broader physical perspective. The book is aimed not at theoretical physicists, but rather at practitioners with a variety of backgrounds from physics to biochemistry for whom thermodynamics is a tool which would be better used if better understood.
This book is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students who already have a basic knowledge of thermodynamics and who wish to truly understand the subject and put it in a broader physical perspective. The book is aimed not at theoretical physicists, but rather at practitioners with a variety of backgrounds from physics to biochemistry for whom thermodynamics is a tool which would be better used if better understood.
Reviews / Votes
` From the first paragraph of the first chapter, this text informs the reader that he/she was lucky enough to find an excellent book to finally understand chemical thermodynamics. The level of writing is suitable for any audience whether undergraduate, graduate, or industry professional. The reader is not bombarded with overly mathematical and boring theoretical diatribe. Rather, it is as if five scientific copyeditors collaborated and approved each word as `the right way to explain things.' And, that is how the text comes across to the reader. 'Dawn Lee Wakefield, Texas A&M
More details
Edition
Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2001
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Research
Illustrations
XXIX, 442 p.
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
887 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4613-5455-0 (9781461354550)
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4615-1237-0
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/2001
Plenum Publishing Co.,N.Y.
€160.49
Shipment within 10-15 days
Content
1. Entropy and Principles.- 1.1 Preamble.- 1.2 Internal Energy and First Principle.- 1.3 Tensions and Extensities.- 1.4 Entropy and Second Principle.- 1.5 Entropy and Thermal Energy.- 2. Energies and Evolution Criteria.- 2.1 Internal Energy of an Open System.- 2.2 Energies.- 2.3 Evolution Criteria and Thermodynamic Potentials.- 2.4 Stabilities and Internal Equilibrium.- 3. Auxiliary Relations.- 3.1 Differential Expressions.- 3.2 Partial Molar Properties.- 3.3 Thermodynamic Equations of State.- 3.4 Summary of Thermodynamic Relationships.- 4. Observable Properties.- 4.1 Intensive Properties.- 4.2 Volume Properties.- 4.3 Heat Capacity and Enthalpy.- 4.4 Entropy and Nernst's Law.- 4.5 Heats of Transfomation.- 4.6 Gibbs Free Energy.- 4.7 Thermodynamic Data.- 5. Equations of State.- 5.1 Ideal Gases.- 5.2 Properties and Transformations of an Ideal Gas.- 5.3 Real Fluids.- 5.4 Real Gases.- 5.5 Condensed Phases.- 6. Configurational Changes.- 6.1 Configurations.- 6.2 Equilibrium Phase Transitions.- 6.3 Kinetic Transitions.- 6.4 Glass Transition.- 7. Criteria for Chemical Equilibrium.- 7.1 Chemical Reactions.- 7.2 Equilibria.- 7.3 Phase Separation.- 8. Equilibrium and Chemical Potentials.- 8.1 Preamble.- 8.2 Ideal Gas.- 8.3 Mass Action Law.- 8.4 Real Gases.- 8.5 Condensed Phases.- 8.6 General Equilibrium.- 9. Phase Rule and Simple Univariant Equilibria.- 9.1 Phase Rule.- 9.2 Unary Systems.- 9.3 Simple Univariant Equilibria.- 10. Binary Phase Diagrams.- 10.1 Solubility.- 10.2 Eutectic Diagrams.- 10.3 Spindle-Like Diagrams.- 10.4 Partial Solubilities.- 10.5 Azeotropes, Fractionation.- 10.6 Variations on Binary Themes.- 10.7 Pressure Effects.- 11. Solutions and Solution Models.- 11.1 Entropy in Ideal Solutions.- 11.2 Mixing and Excess Properties.- 11.3 Colligative Properties.- 11.4General Solution Models.- 11.5 Other Solution Models.- 11.6 Electrolytes.- 12. Equilibria in Electrolyte Solutions.- 12.1 Acids and Bases.- 12.2 pH Calculations.- 12.3 Ions: Standard Properties and Interactions in Solution.- 12.4 Redox Reactions.- 13. Basics of Statistical Mechanics.- 13.1 A Primer with Ideal Gases.- 13.2 State of a Microscopic System.- 13.3 Counting of States.- 13.4 Maxwell-Boltzmann Statistics.- 13.5 Applications of the Maxwell-Boltzmann Statistics.- 13.6 Quantum Statistics.- 14. Theoretical Calculations of Thermodynamic Properties.- 14.1 Energies and Partition Functions.- 14.2 Ideal Gases.- 14.3 Crystals.- 14.4 Numerical Simulations.- 15. Isotopic Equilibria.- 15.1 Isotopic Reactions.- 15.2 Reduced Partition Function Ratios.- 15.3 Isotopic Equilibria.- 15.4 Isotope Fractionation.- Appendices.- A. Mathematical Complements.- A.1 State Functions and Exact Differentials.- A.2 Relations Between Partial Derivatives.- A.3 Homogeneous Functions.- B. Adiabatic Compressibilities.- B.1 Acoustic Waves.- B.2 Fluids.- B.3 Solids.- C. Shock Waves and Equations of State.- C.1 Shock Waves.- C.2 Equations of Rankine-Hugoniot and Hugoniot.- C.3 Pressure and Volume.- C.4 Pressure, Temperature and Volume.- D. Multicomponent Regular and Subregular Models.- D.1 Regular Model.- D.2 Subregular Model.- E. Molecular Energies.- E.1 Internal and Translational Energy.- E.2 Born-Oppenheimer Approximation.- E.3 Vibrational and Rotational Energies.- References.