Advanced physical chemistry

Physical chemistry provides insight into the fundamental reason that chemical systems and materials behave the way they do. This unit gives you an advanced understanding of the properties and characteristics of solids, liquids and gases from a fundamental level - utilising computation of individual atoms and bonds - right through to applied systems such as colloids and surfactants, relevant to minerals, food and formulation. The unit follows a natural progression from atomic and molecular properties at a single atom or bond level through key thermodynamics to the properties of chemical systems, such as viscosity, phase behaviour and the interactions between solids and liquids. The final section deals with surfaces and colloids - key to understanding important chemical systems in Australian science and industry, due to their ubiquity in minerals processing, food and dairy industries, energy and oil, pharmaceuticals, water and waste processing.