Keto-enol tautomerization is paramount to understanding the mechanisms involved in many organic reactions and biochemical transformations. Isomerization of an enol to a carbonyl compound is typically introduced during the discussion of the acid-catalyzed electrophilic addition of water to alkynes. The tautomerization of carbonyl compounds to enol…

Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics have long been identified as difficult concepts to teach in the physical chemistry curriculum. Their highly abstract nature, mathematical complexity and emergent nature underscore the necessity to better link classical thermodynamics and statistical thermodynamics. The objectives of this systematic…

A laboratory experiment in which [superscript 1]H NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies are applied to probe the temperature dependence of a monomer-dimer equilibrium involving a cyclopentadienone derivative is described and discussed. Details of the data analysis for extraction of equilibrium constants from the raw experimental data from both techniques…

In this article we find the thermodynamics of some large N particles systems and some small N particles classical systems using micro canonical ensemble. Small N particle systems are seldom done in textbooks, since statistical mechanics(SM) systems work for large N systems. We show that small N systems will help the students to get an insight…

It is natural to interpret entropy as a measure of energy dispersion. However, the classical, phenomenological introduction to the topic, which relies on detailed analysis of Carnot engines, obscures this interpretation. Here, we propose a modification of the classical approach, which allows the basic properties of entropy to be proven without…

Teaching upper division statistical physics can often be clouded by the theory and complex examples used. To better help students appreciate the fundamental statistical concepts and how they are connected to thermodynamic principles this paper suggests using a simple abstract model. Using Atkins' Model students can see these ideas clearly…

Energy conversion devices such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and electrolyzers have been envisaged as possible solutions for cutting down the continuous accumulation of greenhouse gases resulting from the combustion of fossil fuel. The bottleneck reaction for these devices is the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurring at the cathode. The…

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is the method of choice for thermodynamic binding profiling. As a label-free in-solution technique, ITC experiments do not require modified or immobilized proteins or ligands and hence can be performed under close-to-native environmental conditions. It directly follows the released heat of the molecular…

Of all the conceivable ideal-gas processes, almost all introductory physics textbooks as well as more advanced texts on thermodynamics emphasize only four: isochoric, isobaric, isothermal, and adiabatic (isentropic). These are processes in which a state variable--volume, pressure, temperature, or entropy--remains constant. It turns out that these…

We use the Survey of Thermodynamic Processes and First and Second Laws-Long (STPFaSL-Long), a research-based survey instrument with 78 items at the level of introductory physics, to investigate introductory and advanced students' difficulties with entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. We present an analysis of data from 12 different…

An activity is described that uses simple materials and an easy-to-perform protocol to estimate the Curie temperature of nickel, which is the temperature at which nickel loses its ferromagnetism. To do so, an object made of nickel metal is heated with a lighter until it loses its ferromagnetism. The metal is allowed to drop into a beaker that…

Historically, classical thermodynamics was developed during attempts to improve the efficiency of steam engines. Those investigations led to the well-known zeroth, first, and second laws of thermodynamics. Although these laws are presented independently, linkages between the zeroth and second laws have been pointed out in the physics teaching…

We describe an experiment in which students use research-grade instrumentation to collect gas adsorption data in triplicate in a single 3 h laboratory period. The experiment reinforces the thermodynamic concepts taught in upper level physical chemistry courses and hands-on experience with instrumentation used in research laboratories. The speed of…

The inexorable rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide impacts not only global warming but also the acidity of the ocean. Increasing ocean acidity causes a decline in carbonate (as it is protonated), which in turn will negatively impact the ability of calcifying marine organisms to build their calcium carbonate shells. A simple set of equilibrium…

In this laboratory experiment, students modify a series of surfaces and explore the effects of varying surface chemistry and texture on wettability by different probe liquids. Students begin by building a simple contact angle goniometer utilizing their mobile phone cameras. Next, they contrast the wettability of planar glass substrates…