CHEM 33200
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
Fall 2020

  1. The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to quantum mechanics and its basic applications to chemical problems.
    PRE-REQUISITES
    CHEM 33000 (or ChE 22900 and ChE 33000); CHEM 25000 or MATH 213; PHYS 20800. The CHEM 33000 pre-requisite is waived for this semester.
  2. CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity

  3. TOPICS
    Classical Theory of Blackbody Radiation
    The Bolltzmann Distribution
    Planck's Theory of Blackbody Radiation
    Photoelectric Effect, Specific Heats of Solids annd the Bohr Atom
    Wave Mechanics and the Schrodinger Equation
  4. Quantum Mechanical Operators
    Applications of the Schrodinger Equation - Barrier Problems
    The Harmonic Oscillator
  5. First Exam  
    The Hydrogen Atom
    The Variation Method
    The Perturbation Method
    Many Electron Atoms
  6. The Chemical Bond 
    Polyatomic Molecules
    Hybridization
    Hückel Theory
    Second Exam

  7. LECTURE NOTES
    Lecture 1
    Lecture 2
    Lecture 3
    Lecture 4
  8. Lecture 5
    Lecture 6
    Lecture 7
  9. Lecture 8
    Lecture 9
    Exam 1 Solutions
    Lecture 10
  10. Lecture 11
    Lecture 12
    Lecture 13
    Lecture 14
    Lecture 15
    Lecture 16
    Lecture 17
     Lecture 18
    Exam 2


    Lecture Recordings
     Guidelines for the final paper/presentation

    ADDITIONAL READING
    Tegmark & Wheeler (Scientific American, February 2001)
    Zeilinger (Nature, December 2000)
    Planck (1900, English Translation)
    Millikan (Phys. Rev., 1916)
    Steiner et al. (J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol., 2005)
    Haddad et al. (Metrologiaa, July 2017)

CLASSES

Monday, Wednesday 9:00-10:45 AM.
Classes will be held online synchronously.

GRADING

Take-home Midterm - 35%
Take-home Final - 35%
Paper/Presentation - 30%

TEXTS

The following textbooks are suggested but not required:
(1) Physical Chemistry 7th Edition
Atkins and De Paula

(2) Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach
McQuarrie and Simon

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please inform me if you will do a term paper or an in class presentation no later than 11/25/2020.
Please do so by email.

A final review session will be held on 11/30/2020.   
The second take-home exam will be posted by  midnight on 12/01/2020 and will be due by 12/09/2020 (end of the day).

In class presentations will start on 12/9/2020.      

Final term papers will be due no later than 12/15/2020.