Chemistry 312: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy

Dr. Alex Wang, Chemistry D408,  , 604-822-6773

Textbooks:

1. Donald A. McQuarrie, Quantum Chemistry, University Science Books, 1983 (required text).
2. Ira N. Levine, Quantum Chemistry (5th edition), Prentice Hall, 2000 (advanced reference).

Marking Scheme:

1. Combo Grade:
   • Homework Assignments: 5% (about 1 assignment every two weeks)
   • One Midterm Exam: 25% (covering the first half course material)
   • One Final Exam: 70% (covering the entire course material)
2. Or 100% Final Exam, if your final exam grade is higher than the above combo grade and you must write the midterm exam in order to be qualified for this offer.
3. If you are sick and cannot write the midterm exam, you must bring me a doctor’s notice and your final grade automatically falls into the 100% Final Exam scheme. Without the doctor’s notice, your final grade will be the combo grade with 0% Midterm Exam, which is (5% Homework Assignments + 70% Final Exam).

Contact Info:

Dr. Alex Wang
Chemistry Building D408 & D444 (lab)
Office Phone: 604-822-6773
Email: 
Office Hours: anytime after class, but please phone first.

Syllabus:

1. Historical Perspectives − 1 week (mainly Chapter 1)

• From Classical Mechanics to Quantum Mechanics: §1.1-1.8

2. Principles of Quantum Mechanics − 4 weeks (mainly Chapters 1-4)

• The Bohr Atom: §1.9-1.10
• The de Broglie Matter Wave: §1.11-1.13
• The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: §1.14, §3.11
• Complex Numbers: App. B
• Differential Equations: Chapter 2
• The Schrödinger Equation: §3.1
• Particle in a One-Dimensional Box: §3.5, §3.10
• Well-behaved functions: §4.1
• Interpretation of Wave Functions: §4.1
• Normalizations: §3.6, §6.6, §6.8
• Operators: §3.2-3.3, §4.2
• Eigenfunctions: §3.2-3.3, §4.2
• Expectation Values: §3.7-3.11, §4.2
• The Stern-Gerlach Experiment: §8.4
• Hermitian Operators: §4.4
• Eigenfunctions and Commutation Relations: §4.8-4.9, §6.7
• Superposition: §4.6
• The Dirac Bra-Ket Notation

3. Selected Applications − 5 weeks (mainly Chapters 5 & 6)

• Particle in a Three-Dimensional Box: §6.1
• Separation of Variables: §6.2
• Rigid Rotator: §6.3-6.6
• Harmonic Oscillator: §5.4-5.13
• Hydrogen Atom Radial Functions: §6.8
• Hydrogen-like Orbitals: §6.9-6.10

4. Term Symbols − 3 weeks (mainly Chapters 6 & 8)

• Angular Momentum: §6.7, §4.2
• Electron Spin: §8.4
• The Zeeman Effect: §6.11
• Spin-Orbit/L-S/Russell-Saunders Coupling: §8.9, §8.12
• Hydrogen-like Atom Term Symbols: §8.9
• Multi-electron Atom Term Symbols: §8.9
• Hund’s Rules: §8.10
• Term Symbols in Atomic Spectroscopy: §8.11