Georg Job, Regina Rüffler

Physical Chemistry from a Different Angle

Introducing Chemical Equilibrium, Kinetics and Electrochemistry by Numerous Experiments

published by Springer in January 2016
ISBN-13: 978-3319156651641 pages, 1076 illustrations, more than 100 demonstration experiments
also available in electronic form

Easy understandable introduction to physical chemistry with numerous demonstration experiments

The book discusses the principles of matter dynamics in three parts

  • Basic concepts and chemical equilibria (chemical thermodynamics)
  • Progression of transformation of substances in time (kinetics)
  • Interaction of chemical phenomena and electric fields (electrochemistry)

and gives at the same time an overview of important branches of physical chemistry. The reader is introduced directly in a conceptually and mathematically basic way to the central quantities and equations necessary for the description of transformations of substances such as chemical reactions or phase transitions. Because students often regard physical chemistry as very abstract and remote from day-to-day life, theoretical considerations are linked to everyday experience and more than hundred carefully selected demonstration experiments.

Target audience

  • Students at highschools, colleges and universities in courses where physical chemistry is required in support as well as in a first course in physical chemistry

Purchase

  • Springer (here you will also find further information) as well as in the relevant book trade.

Additional Material

As a companion to the textbook, the workbook (also published by Springer) offers excellent opportunity for deepening the understanding by providing almost 200 concrete problems and the corresponding detailed solutions.

Detailed descriptions of a variety of demonstration experiments and accompanying videos can be found under Demonstration Experiments.

Reviews

“Strengths of the work are its focus on entropy and chemical potential; the promotion of an intuitive, insightful internalization of concepts; and a strong emphasis on experiments illustrating concepts through sketches and videos … . Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.” (A. Viste, Choice, Vol. 53 (10), p. 1497)
“Physical Chemistry for the 21st Century. The book presented is the most revolutionary textbook published in the last decades in the field of physical chemistry. … I was very impressed by the innovative concept as well as the writing style of the book. The numerous experiments illustrated with pictures are also very nice and helpful. They make the text more lively and disprove the widely held opinion that physical chemistry is a very abstract field. …” (customer review of the German edition)