ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 99 Hours of tutorials: 3 Expository Class: 24 Interactive Classroom: 24 Total: 150
Use languages Spanish, Galician, English
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Physical Chemistry
Areas: Physical Chemistry
Center Faculty of Chemistry
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
The subject belongs to the Physical Chemistry module and is fundamentally related to the subjects of said module and is important to understand the contents of the Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis subject (2nd semester of 3rd year) and Physical Chemistry of Materials (1st semester of 4th course.
The study of statistical thermodynamics serves to establish a connection between thermodynamics, spectroscopy and quantum mechanics. In the first part of the subject an introduction to the basic concepts of statistical thermodynamics is made, it is explained how to approach the relevant thermodynamic phenomena in chemistry from a microscopic point of view and how to calculate different thermodynamic functions: free energy, enthalpy, entropy, heat capacity, equilibrium constants, etc.
In the second part of the subject, transport phenomena are introduced, starting from a statistical derivation of the Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution function. Concepts such as diffusion and/or migration of molecules and ions are introduced from a statistical point of view.
The study of electric charge transport in the vicinity of the electrodes completes the overview of electrochemical systems whose properties are closely related to the transport mechanisms studied.
These contents are a starting point for the study of electrochemical kinetics that students will work on in the following semester in the subject Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis and Physical Chemistry of Materials, which includes a chapter dedicated to corrosion
Learning objectives.
- Interpret experimental observations and explain them in terms of the theories that support them using the qualitative and quantitative models developed for each case.
- Understand chemical problems and establish the connection between their quantitative and qualitative aspects.
1. Molecular motion in gases
The kinetic theory of gases. Pressure and molecular speeds. The collision frequency. Mean free path. Collisions with walls and surfaces. Effusion of a gas.
2. Transport properties of a perfect gas
Phenomenological equations. Transport parameters in ideal gases: diffusion coefficient, thermal conductivity and viscosity.
3. Molecular motion in liquids
Conductivity of electrolyte solutions. Mobility and conductivity of ions. Ionic interactions. Diffusion: Fick’s laws, Einstein relation, Nernst-Einstein and Stokes-Einstein equations.
4. Electrochemical equilibrium
Electrochemical potential: application to the determination of equilibrium constants and transport numbers. Liquid junction potential, usefulness of the salt bridge.
5. Basic concepts on statistical thermodynamics
The distribution of molecular states. The internal energy and the entropy. The canonical partition function.
6. Applications of statistical thermodynamics
Thermodynamic functions and molecular partition function. Mean energies. Heat capacities. Equations of state. Equilibrium constants.
Laboratory practicals:
1. Heat transport: Determination of thermal conductivity of different materials.
2. Charge transport in ionic solutions: Use of the conductometric method for the determination of the ionization constant of acetic acid.
3. Charge transport through the electrochemical interface at equilibrium: Use of the potentiometric method for the determination of the solubility product of AgCl and of the formation constant for the complex Ag(NH3)n+
Basic Bibliography (reference manual).
F. Rivadulla Fernández, Termodinámica estadística y fenómenos de transporte: introducción y aplicaciones en química. USC Editora. Manuales, 2017.
P. Atkins and J. de Paula, Physical Chemistry, 8th edition; Oxford U. P., 2008
I. N. Levine. Physical Chemistry, 6th edition; McGraw-Hill, 2009
Additional Bibliography.
T. Engel, P. Reid, Química Física, Addison Wesley, 2006
J. Bertrán Rusca, Javier Núñez Delgado, Química Física, Volúmenes I y II. Ariel Ciencia, 2002
BASIC AND GENERAL SKILLS
CG2 – Graduates will be able to gather and interpret relevant data, information and results, draw conclusions and issue reasoned reports on scientific, technological or any other field problems requiring the use of Chemistry knowledge.
CG3 – Graduates will be able to apply both theoretical and practical knowledge acquired as well as the capacity of analysis and abstraction in the definition and approach to problems and finding solutions in academic and professional contexts.
CG5 – Graduates will be able to study and learn new knowledge and techniques from any scientific and technological discipline independently, with its own organization of time and resources
SPECIFIC SKILLS
CE5 – Understand the principles of Thermodynamics and their application to Chemistry.
CE14 - Resolution of qualitative and quantitative problems using previously developed models.
CE20 - Interpretation of data from observations and measurements in the laboratory in terms of its significance and theories that underpin it.
CE22 – Undersanting the conection between theory and experimentation
CE24 - Understanding the qualitative and quantitative aspects of chemical problems.
CROSS SKILLS
CT1 - Capacity for analysis and synthesis.
CT2 - Capacity of organization and planning.
CT3 - Knowledge of a foreign language.
CT4 - Troubleshooting.
A) Large-group lectures: Lectures presented by the teacher to introduce those aspects of each topic that are considered fundamental for comprehension and development of the proposed activities. The lecturer will explain the most representative examples from each lesson. Diring the lectures the teachers will use Power Point presentations as a script of the contents. This material must never be considered as class notes. Usually, these classes follow the content of the reference manual. Attendance is not mandatory but strongly advised and quite important to progressively acquire the knowledge and to periodically interact with the instructor. Non attendance to lectures will have negative repercusión in the expected outcomes from seminars and tutorials.
B) Interactive classes in small groups: These are theoretical/practical sessions in which applications of the theory, problems, and exercises are proposed and solved, either individually or in groups. Students are expected to participate actively in these classes by solving exercises in class and tackling problems assigned as review for each topic. Tasks that require grading as part of continuous assessment must be submitted through the Virtual Classroom. During these interactive sessions, individual tests (multiple-choice or other formats) may be administered as part of the subject’s continuous assessment. Attendance at these classes is mandatory. Students must bring one of the textbooks listed in this syllabus and one computer per workgroup in order to carry out the proposed activities.
C) Laboratory practical classes: In these classes the student acquires the skills of a chemistry laboratory and consolidates the knowledge acquired in the theory classes. The practices will be carried out in groups of 2 or 3 students.
Each group will have a brief practice manual, which will include the objectives and general considerations of the practices. Each group must prepare the contents and methodology of the practices in detail, using the necessary bibliography and consulting with the teacher.
At the beginning of the sessions in the laboratory, the student must explain to the teacher how they are going to carry out the practice and the latter will correct and/or guide them so that they can complete it successfully. Each student will collect in the laboratory diary the development of the practice and the calculations and results that proceed.
At the end of the practices, a report of each practice will be delivered, which will include:
• Objective of the practice and brief introduction of the most relevant theoretical aspects.
• Methodology used, with the necessary level of detail so that the practice can be reproduced.
• Results obtained: students will present the results in the way they consider most convenient (graphs, tables, calculated values, etc), for their evaluation and discussion of the results in comparison with the results of the bibliography, when necessary.
• Bibliography used
• A series of questions may be included (test, short answer, etc.) that must be answered in the report.
At the end of the practices, a test may be carried out to check the level of compression achieved.
Attendance to laboratory classes is compulsory. Absences must be documented, accepting examination and health reasons, as well as those cases contemplated in current university regulations. The practice not carried out will be recovered, if possible, in accordance with the teacher and within the time scheduled for the subject.
At the beginning of the course, repeating students must contact the coordinator to be informed whether or not they need to repeat the laboratory practices. It is the student's responsibility to be aware of their situation regarding the repetition of the practices and the impact that the practice grade has on the final evaluation.
D) Small group tutorials: There will be two sessions. These classes involve supervised activities, clarifiying doubts on lectures and laboratory, solving problems and exercises, readings related to the course, … The teacher can require the submission of a given exercise or report in advance to the tutorial session. These activities will be announced in advance and scheduled in the calendar. Attendance to these tutorials is mandatory and participation in them will be assessed.
The evaluation will be based on two aspects:
• Continuous assessment: 40% (Activities proposed by the teacher in seminars and tutorials 40%; controls and tests 20% and laboratory practices 40%)
• Final exam: 60%
Those students who do not have an attendance of 80% to the interactive classes (seminars and tutorials) will lose the right to make an average with the continuous evaluation, so that their final grade will depend solely on the exam.
The continuous assessment mark will only be obtained through active participation in the activities that make up said assessment (class presentations, problem solving in class,...), in such a way as to demonstrate that the knowledge set for each of these activities has been acquired. .
The FINAL MARK (N) of the student will be the one corresponding to the weighting of the mark of the continuous evaluation (0.40 × N1) and of the exam (0.60 × N2) or to the mark obtained in the exam (N2) , always the one that is most favorable to the student:
N = max(0.40 × N1 + 0.60 × N2, N2)
The final exam will include theoretical questions and problems related to the subject included in the course syllabus, regardless of whether said subject was worked on in the expository, interactive or laboratory practice classes. The exam will be graded on a total of 10 points.
The exam questions will include basic concepts that all students must master confidently in order to pass the course. A minimum score on these questions (which will be specified at the time of the exam) is required to pass the course. In order for the exam grade to be averaged with the continuous assessment, a minimum score of 4.0 out of 10 must be achieved on the exam. Additionally, students must obtain a “pass” grade in the laboratory exam in order to pass the course.
Assessment of laboratory work
Answers to questions posed by the instructor during laboratory sessions, as well as the evaluation of the lab report, will form part of the continuous assessment. Furthermore, in order to obtain a "pass" in the lab component, students must achieve a minimum score—specified at the appropriate time—on the lab exam. This exam may be conducted independently or as part of the final course exam. The format and dates of this test will be announced well in advance.
For cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulations for evaluating the academic performance of students and reviewing grades will apply.
Students who have been granted an exemption from attending classes by the Title Committee, in accordance with the provisions of the Class Attendance Regulation, must take into account that to pass the course, they must complete the activities assigned by the teaching staff as part of the continuous assessment, as well as a final assessment test covering the entire subject. The final grade will be calculated in the same way as for the rest of the students.
Competency assessment:
• Seminars: CG2, CG3, DG5, CE5, CE14, CE15, CE20, CE22, CE23, CE24, CE25, CT1, CT2, CT3, CT4
• Laboratory practices: CG2, CG3, CE20, CE22, CT2
• Tutorials: CG2, CE5, CE15, CE25, CT2
• Exam: CG2, DG5, CE5, CE14, CE22, CE23, CE24, CT1, CT2, CT4
repeating students
Repeating students will have the same regimen of class attendance as those taking the course for the first time, with the following exceptions:
Students repeating a theoretical-practical subject who have passed the laboratory practices in a previous edition will retain the grade obtained in this section for one academic year. In any case, they will attend the remaining interactive classes (seminars and tutorials), under the same conditions as the other students, so as not to lose the right to take the subject exam.
Important data that the student must know in order to pass the subject:
- In the resolution of exercises, both in the continuous evaluation and in the exam, serious failures in basic mathematical aspects will be penalized with a reduction in the grade.
- In the resolution of exercises, both in the continuous evaluation and in the exam, not indicating the units that accompany the results obtained will be penalized with a reduction in the grade.
Class hours = 55 h:
Big group lectures = 23 h
Small group interactive classes = 10 h
Laboratory = 20 h
Small group tutorials = 2 h
Student's personal work = 95 h:
Self-study = 46 h
Problem solving and other tasks = 24 h
Preparation of the tutorials assignments = 10 horas
Preparation of laboratory practicals = 15 horas
• It is advisable to attend the lectures:
- Listening to the teacher's explanations will shorten the time of study and will facilitate taking notes and organizing the content in order to get ready for the exam
- The Power Point presentations, available to all students through the virtual classroom, are not a reference manual, just notes that constitute a guide for the contents. In addition, the instructor can explain contents not explicitly included in the slides.
- The attendance facilitates interaction between teacher and student through more participatory classes.
- The student becomes more familiar with the specific vocabulary and with equations and exercises that appear on each of the units. Students who do not regularly attend classes have greater difficulty in understanding the exercises of seminars and tutorials.
• It is important to study the new matter every day
• After reading an item in the reference manual, it is useful to summarize the important points, identifying the basic equations that should be remembered and making sure to know both its meaning and the conditions for applicability.
• Problem solving is fundamental to learning in this field and indispensable for preparing the final exam. The point is not to solve problems mechanically but to understand the meaning of what is being done, why it is done according to a certain method and its scope.
• The preparation of the laboratory practices before entering the laboratory is essential. First, you should review the important theoretical concepts underlying each experiment and then you should read carefully the script of the practice, trying to understand the objectives and the methodology of the proposed experiment. Any doubts that may arise must be discussed with the teacher. It is possible that some practices were performed before seeing the theoretical aspects in class. In these cases, previous work is even more important.
It is also advisable to have passed the subjects of the modules of Mathematics, Physics and General Chemistry, as well as all the other subjects of the same module.
Jose Ramon Leis Fidalgo
- Department
- Physical Chemistry
- Area
- Physical Chemistry
- Phone
- 881814222
- joseramon.leis [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Ana Maria Rios Rodriguez
- Department
- Physical Chemistry
- Area
- Physical Chemistry
- Phone
- 881814210
- anamaria.rios [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
Sarah Fiol López
Coordinador/a- Department
- Physical Chemistry
- Area
- Physical Chemistry
- Phone
- 881816042
- sarah.fiol [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Jose Francisco Rivadulla Fernandez
- Department
- Physical Chemistry
- Area
- Physical Chemistry
- Phone
- 881815724
- f.rivadulla [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Maria Moreno Perez
- Department
- Physical Chemistry
- Area
- Physical Chemistry
- mariamoreno.perez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Predoutoral_Doutoramento Industrial
| Tuesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLE_02 | Spanish | Inorganic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |
| Wednesday | |||
| 12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Inorganic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |
| Thursday | |||
| 11:00-12:00 | Grupo /CLE_02 | Spanish | Inorganic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |
| 13:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Inorganic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |
| Friday | |||
| 09:00-10:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | Inorganic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |
| 12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLE_02 | Spanish | Inorganic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |
| 01.09.2026 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Biology Classroom (3rd floor) |
| 01.09.2026 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | General Chemistry Classroom (2nd floor) |
| 06.15.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Inorganic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |
| 06.15.2026 10:00-14:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Organic Chemistry Classroom (1st floor) |