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4: Applications

  • Page ID
    556067
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    • 4.1: Heat Capacity
      This page shows how translation, rotational and vibrational contributions to the heat capacity of ideal gases may be predicted using the tools of statistical thermodynamics.
    • 4.2: Spectroscopy
      This page discusses the principles of spectroscopic measurements that provide energy and intensity details of transitions between quantized energy levels in atoms and molecules. It explains how spectral line positions indicate energy differences, while intensities are affected by transition probabilities and state populations based on the Boltzmann distribution.
    • 4.3: Free Energies
      This page covers the computation of Gibbs free energies, crucial for assessing the spontaneity of chemical reactions at constant temperature and pressure. It highlights the use of statistical mechanics to calculate free energies for reactants and products, considering factors like electronic energy, zero-point vibrational energy, and thermal contributions.
    • 4.4: Transition State Theory
      This page examines transition state theory (TST), focusing on how it relates reaction rates to activated complexes and transition states. It presents key postulates regarding the quasi-equilibrium of reactants and complexes, linking kinetic expressions to statistical thermodynamics via partition functions.


    This page titled 4: Applications is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Deborah Crittenden.

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