Department of Chemical Engineering, Unit Catalogue 2009/10 |
CE10078: Physical chemistry |
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Certificate |
| Period: | Semester 1 |
| Assessment:
| CW 20%, EX 80% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| |
| Description: | Aims: To introduce and develop key concepts in physical chemistry, in particular those of importance in chemical engineering processes. Learning Outcomes: After successfully completing this unit students should be able to: * Understand energy conservation in closed, open and reacting systems. * Understand the phase behaviour of substances and how to use the phase rule. * Understand the concepts of chemical potential, ideal and non-ideal conditions, and activity coefficients. * Calculate changes in enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs' free energy, and equilibrium constants of chemical reactions. * Understand the basic principles of electrochemistry. * Understand the basic principles of the physical chemistry of interfaces Skills: Analysis and problem solving (taught/facilitated and assessed). Content: * Gases; liquids and solutions; solids; polymers; bio-molecules. * Electrolytes; basic principles of electrochemistry. * Conservation of energy without chemical reaction; closed and open systems. * Conservation of energy with chemical reaction; thermochemistry; Hesse's law; combustion. * Physical and chemical equilibrium; phase transformations; humidity. * Gibbs' free energy; chemical potential as a main driving force in chemical processes; phase rule. * Ideal and non-ideal gases and liquids; activity coefficients. * Physical chemistry of interfaces. |