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CHEM 421

Physical Chemistry I

Catalog2026-2027
Credits3 units
LevelUpper Division
Average gradeB+
Standard

Overview

Description

Fundamental principles including thermodynamics, phase equilibria, non-ideal systems, electrochemistry, and introductory statistical mechanics.

Requirements

Prerequisites

  • If Chemical Engineering major
  • If Environmental Engineering major
CHEM 242CHEM 342MATH 182PHYS 152PHYS 181CHEM 241CHEM 341CHEM 220A

Recommended Preparation

MATH 283
Original catalog text

Prerequisites

Prerequisite(s): CHEM 242 or CHEM 342; MATH 182; PHYS 152 or PHYS 181. If Chemical Engineering major: CHEM 241 or CHEM 341; MATH 182; PHYS 181. If Environmental Engineering major: CHEM 220A or CHEM 241 or CHEM 341; MATH 182; PHYS 181.

Recommended Preparation

Recommended Preparation: MATH 283.

Units

Lecture3

Catalog Details

Offering

Offered: Every Fall

Terms

fall

Restrictions

If Chemical Engineering major; If Environmental Engineering major

Attributes

Standard

Learning Outcomes

  • derive relationships among physical and chemical properties using thermodynamics concepts and the laws of thermodynamics.
  • apply state functions including energy, enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs energy, and Helmholtz energy to analyze systems and processes.
  • apply thermodynamic relationships to chemical and physical systems, including heat engines, chemical reactions, phase equilibria, and electrochemical systems.
  • explain the behavior of ideal gases, real gases, and supercritical fluids and the phase equilibria of single- and multi-component systems through quantitative relationships.
  • determine the reaction order, half-life, and time-dependence of reactant and product concentrations from a reaction rate law expression.
  • derive a rate law from a multistep chemical reaction mechanism.