Statistical Mechanics for Chemists

A graduate-level text, this book introduces the concepts and equations of statistical mechanics for the chemist. It presents a treatment of the fundamentals, beginning with ideas and functions followed by a demonstration of applications and thermodynamic properties.

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With an emphasis on finding solutions to common problems in chemistry, topics covered include: The Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution for molecules in a gas, partition functions, and calculation of thermodynamic properties; ensembles (including the grand canonical ensemble), independent particles, and thermodynamic properties of atoms and molecules; and practical introductions to quantum statistical mechanics and classical statistical mechanics. Also covered are applications to electrons in metals and semiconductors; bosons and fermions; imperfect gases; transport properties; dipole moments in electric and magnetic fields; distribution functions and correlation functions in fluids; and time-dependent techniques for handling both simple and modern dynamical problems--the Liouville equation, time-correlation functions, and the Langevin equation.