CHEM1011 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Physical Chemistry, Fundamental Interaction, Pressure Measurement
20 Nov 2018
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Document Summary
Chemistry is often split into 4 branches: physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry and organic. Gases topics usually put in the physical chemistry basket. A simple definition for this diverse topic is not available. Physical chemistry is the explanation of the properties and reactions of matter in terms of the fundamental forces of nature. Physical chemistry is the study of the underlying physical principles that govern that properties and behaviour of chemical systems. More than the other branches of chemistry, physical chemistry is about why things happen at the molecular level. Gases fill all the available space in a container (i. e. they have volume). Kinetic energy of gases greater than solids or liquids. Forces between these atoms and molecules weak. As a consequence, gases have pressure (exert a force against container walls. The defining characteristic of gases is the pressure (p) they exert, which is dependent on: The amount of gas present (n - number of moles)
