Summary

Understanding Physical Chemistry takes aninnovative approach to teaching this fundamentally importantsubject, by stressing core ideas such as the entropic forces thatdrive all chemical processes and the quantum states that dictatethe structures and colors of atoms and molecules. This elegantand streamlined textbook (of under 400 pages) aims to instill adeep understanding of physical chemistry by focusing exclusively onthose ideas that are deemed to be either too important or toointeresting to exclude. These core ideas are demystified byexplaining where they come from, why they make sense, and how theymay be applied to understanding topics ranging frommolecular spectroscopy and chemical reactivity to biologicalself-assembly and liquid computer simulation strategies. Anotherunique feature of this groundbreaking textbook is the insight itprovides into the scientific discovery process by highlighting thepersonal perspectives and conceptual struggles of people such asGibbs, Einstein, and Schrödinger, who pioneered thisinteresting and practically important field.