Acids and bases

Part 1, "Introduction to acid-base theory" covers the fundamental concepts of acids and bases. Except for some stoichiometry and a discussion on pH, this section is largely qualitative.

Part 2, "Acid-base equilibria and calculations" (revised 1996) covers the quantitative treatment of acid-base equilibria at somewhat greater breadth and depth than is available in standard textbooks. The principles of electroneutrality and mass balance are used to develop exact solutions for common equilibrium problems, and the common approximations and their limitations are explored. At the other extreme, there is an extensive treatment of the use of log-concentration vs. pH graphs for obtaining approximate solutions of equilibrium problems without arithmetic. There is a detailed discussion of the proton-free energy concept (without the thermodynamics!) that is helpful in understanding more complex acid-base systems. Other sections cover practical methods of solving quadratic and higher-order equations, graphical solution of equilibrium problems, titration curves, the carbonate system, physiological applications, and acid rain.

Part 1: (22 p): View/download

Part 2 (48 p): View/download

Atomic structure and the periodic table

A special feature of this chapter is the more detailed (but largely non-mathematical) treatment of the origins and principal concepts of quantum theory as applied to the atom.

New 2005 version; (49p, 4.3M):
View / download

Chemical Bonding

All about chemical bonding. The pictures are not as pretty as in the textbooks and there is more on hybridization than now seems to be fashionable, but it provides a reasonably thorough treatment of the concepts, including some material on transition-metal complexes and metallic bonding.

Chemical Energetics and Thermodynamics

These two chapters stress the concepts rather than the mathematical methodology of the subject, and are intended mainly for use in a first-year General Chemistry course.

Chemical energetics: All about enthalpy, thermochemistry and the First Law of Thermodynamics

An attempt is made in this unit to emphasize the significance of entropy as a measure of the spreading and sharing of thermal energy, and to show how this governs the direction lf all change.

Energetics (31 p, revised 2003)
Download/View

Equilibrium thermo
(45 p)
Download/View

Web version

Web version

Chemical Equilibrium

(revised 7/2004, 39 p): Download/ViewThis thorough treatment sets out the underlying concepts without invoking thermodynamics or complicated calculations; considerable emphasis is placed on the distinction between Q and K. The section on equilibrium calculations contains problem examples illustrating techniques such as iterative and graphical solutions of polynomials, all of which employ the "systematic" method of organizing information.

Electrochemistry

Introduction to electrochemistry (General Chemistry level). Chemistry and electricity, electrochemical cells, standard cell potentials, the Nernst equation, batteries and fuel cells, electrolytic cells.

Properties of gases

Web version: - a six-part treatment of the gaseous state of matter. Includes numerous examples of application of kinetic molecular theory and a section on real gases.

Matter and measure: all about units, uncertainty, significant figures,and how to deal with experimental error

Thorough coverage of the basic ideas relating to units and dimensions, the SI system, accuracy, precision, and uncertainty in measurements, significant figures and rounding off, treatment of random and systematic error, standard deviation. There is also an introduction to the statistical treatment of data that covers confidence intervals, small-sample statistics (Student's t), and some of the more important tests commonly encountered in quantitative chemistry.

Compared to standard textbook treatments, this material is considerably more graphics-rich, and there is a much more thorough treatment of rounding off, emphasizing the calculation of relative uncertainty in order to resolve ambiguous cases. There is also a section covering the numeric ranges of length, mass, time, and other variables encountered in science and discussing the subsets of these ranges that are of interest to chemistry.

Primer on Quantum Theory of the Atom

An alternative exposition of the quantum-mechanical concepts that are the basis of modern atomic theory. Compared to the usual textbook treatment, this is conceptually more complete while remaining largely non-mathematical.

States of matter

1) States of matter: condensed states, liquids, types of solids, intermolecular forces, types of molecular units.

2) Liquids and their vapors: special physical properties of liquids, vaporization and boiling, changes of state, phase diagrams.

3) Solutions: types of solutions, expressing concentrations, colligative properties, solutions of volatile substances, osmosis, ions in aqueous solution.

(1) (24 p)
Download/view

(2) (18 p) Download/view

(3) (30 p)
View/download

Survey of Environmental Geobiochemistry

Provides an overview of "environmental chemistry" in its broadest context: the chemical evolution and constitution of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
This is a new version of the original 1996 document that provided the background reading for the first two weeks of a third-year Environmental Chemistry course.

Thermal physics (and some chemistry) of the atmosphere

An exploration of how the temperature of the atmosphere varies with altitude can serve as a useful means of illustrating some important principles relating to the behavior of gases and to the absorption and transformation of radiant energy. [Published in J. Chem. Ed. 1998 75 837 (July)]

Aquatic Chemistry

This collection includes three chapters from the author's text materials for an upper-level course in Environmental Chemistry of the Aquatic Environment. These new versions (1997) are all in Acrobat pdf format.

1. Acid-base chemistry of natural aquatic systems is similar to Part 2 of the Acid-base Chemistry text listed above, but is more focussed on aquatic chemistry.
   
2. Carbonate Equilibria in Natural Waters is a more detailed treatment of this topic, covering open and closed systems and alkalinity. (26 p, 271K; 2 June 1999)
   
3. Redox equilibria in natural waters includes a detailed treatment of pE and of pE-pH diagrams.
4. Solids in contact with natural waters Solubility equilibria, carbonate-CO₂ system; complexes; interfaces and the electric double layer; acid-base properties of surfaces, colloids, clays.

1) Download/view

2) Download/view

3) Downloadview

4) Download/view