Chemistry 2430 – Quantum Chemistry

Instructors: Professors K. D. Jordan and R. D. Coalson

Rm: 330 and 321 Eberly Hall

Text: Molecular Quantum Mechanics bt Atkins and Friedman

Lectures: Mon. and Wed. 5:30 PM – 6:45

Office hours: by appointment

Grading: two 1 hr. exams (25% each); homeworks (10%), final exam (40%). All exams are open book, i.e., you can use your text and notes, but no other sources.  Makeup exams are permitted only in the case of medical emergencies.

Week 1 (Aug. 31, Sept. 2):      Chpt. 1, Foundations of quantum mechanics

Week 2 (Sept. 9):                    Chpt. 2, Linear motion, and the harmonic osc.

Week 3 (Sept. 14,16):             Chpt. 3, Rotational motion,; H atom

Week 4 (Sept. 21,23):             Chpt. 4, Angular momentum

Week 5 (Sept. 28,30):             Chpt. 6, Techniques of approximation

Week 6 (Oct. 5, 7):                 Chpt. 7, Atomic Structure; Exam 1 (Mon.)

Week 7 (Oct. 13,14):               Chpt. 8 Molecular Structure

Week 8 (Oct. 19, 21):            Born-Oppenheimer Approximation; H_2+ Molecule Ion

Week 9 (Oct. 26,28):             Molecular Orbital Theory of Diatomics

Week 10 (Nov. 2, 4):            Hückel Theory of Pi-Bonding; Band Structure Theory

Week 11 (Nov. 9,11):            Dynamics of a 2-level System; Decay of a Doorway State

Week 12 (Nov. 16, 18):        Hartree-Fock Theory

Week 13 (Nov. 23):               Exam 2

Week 14 (Nov 30, Dec. 2):    Rotation-Vibration Spectroscopy

Week 15 (Dec. 7,9)                Electronic Spectroscopy

Week 16 (Dec. 16):                Final Exam