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Physical Chemistry for the Biosciences (LibreTexts)

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    41297
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    This physical chemistry textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the principles that govern chemical systems, beginning with foundational topics such as the nature of physical chemistry, units, and the mole concept. It then explores the behavior of gases through ideal and real models, kinetic theory, and molecular motion. Thermodynamics is covered in depth, introducing the first, second, and third laws, entropy, Gibbs energy, and phase equilibria. The text addresses solution chemistry, including colligative properties, electrolyte behavior, and biological membranes, followed by chemical equilibrium and electrochemistry with applications to redox reactions and membrane potentials. Acid-base chemistry includes buffer systems and pH regulation, while kinetics examines reaction rates, mechanisms, and enzyme catalysis. Quantum mechanics introduces wave-particle duality, Schrödinger’s equation, and atomic structure, which leads into bonding theories such as valence bond and molecular orbital theory. The book further investigates intermolecular forces, hydrogen bonding, and the unique properties of water, then covers spectroscopy methods like IR, NMR, and fluorescence for molecular analysis. It concludes with chapters on photochemistry, biological light-driven processes, and the structure and behavior of macromolecules like proteins and DNA, offering a rich integration of theoretical concepts with real-world and biological applications.

    This text is a "textmap", which follows the outline of the content found in Physical Chemistry for the Biosciences by Raymond Chang. It is intended to provide a structured overview of the topics and chapters covered in the textbook, including key concepts and organizational flow, but it does not contain the full text, explanations, figures, or problem sets from the actual book itself.

    Thumbnail: Space-filling model of the lowest occupied \(\pi\) molecular orbital of the ethenolate anion (\(\ce{C2H3O^{-}}\). (Public Domain; Ben Mills via Wikipedia)


    Physical Chemistry for the Biosciences (LibreTexts) is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.