Understanding Molecules: Lectures on Chemistry for Physicists and Engineers [Paperback]

Chemistry is a subject that many students with differing goals have to tackle. This unique general chemistry textbook is tailored to more mathematically-oriented engineering or physics students. The authors emphasize the principles underlying chemistry rather than chemistry itself and the almost encyclopedic completeness appearing in a common textbook of general chemistry is sacrificed for an emphasis to these principles. Contained within 300 pages, it is suitable for a one-semester course for students who have a strong background in calculus. Over 200 problems with answers are provided so that the students can check their progress.

From the Chemical System to the Atomic Nucleus. Stoichiometry. Nucleus and Radioactivity. Interlude of Physics I: Quantum Mechanics: Atoms and the Periodic Table of the Elements. Chemical Bond I: Lewis Scheme. Chemical Bond II: Molecular Orbitals. Chemical Bond III: Complements. Interlude of Physics II: Thermodynamics. Phase Equilibria. Chemical Equilibrium. Ionic Equilibria in Aqueous Solutions. Chemical Kinetics. Electrochemistry. A Concise Guide to the Vocabulary of Chemistry.

This unique General Chemistry textbook is tailored to more mathematically-oriented engineering or physics students and emphasizes the principles underlying chemistry rather than chemistry itself. Over 200 problems and answers are provided throughout the text for the student to solve and confirm their understanding of key topics.

Franco Battaglia earned his PhD degree in chemical physics from the University of Rochester (New York, USA) under the supervision of Prof. T. F. George.  He has been enrolled in several other research institutions:  Max Planck Institut f?r Str?mungforschung (G?ttingen, Germany), Universit? di Roma Tor Vergata (Rome, Italy), State University of New York at Buffalo (Buffalo, NY), Universit? della Basilicata (Potenza, Italó4