Chemical physics

Short description: Subdiscipline of chemistry and physics

Chemical physics is a subdiscipline of chemistry and physics that investigates physicochemical phenomena using techniques from atomic and molecular physics and condensed matter physics; it is the branch of physics that studies chemical processes from the point of view of physics. While at the interface of physics and chemistry, chemical physics is distinct from physical chemistry in that it focuses more on the characteristic elements and theories of physics. Meanwhile, physical chemistry studies the physical nature of chemistry. Nonetheless, the distinction between the two fields is vague, and scientists often practice in both fields during the course of their research.^[1]

The United States Department of Education defines chemical physics as "A program that focuses on the scientific study of structural phenomena combining the disciplines of physical chemistry and atomic/molecular physics. Includes instruction in heterogeneous structures, alignment and surface phenomena, quantum theory, mathematical physics, statistical and classical mechanics, chemical kinetics, and laser physics."^[2]

What chemical physicists do

Chemical physicists commonly probe the structure and dynamics of ions, free radicals, polymers, clusters, and molecules. Areas of study include the quantum mechanical behavior of chemical reactions, the process of solvation, inter- and intra-molecular energy flow, and single entities such as quantum dots. Experimental chemical physicists use a variety of spectroscopic techniques to better understand hydrogen bonding, electron transfer, the formation and dissolution of chemical bonds, chemical reactions, and the formation of nanoparticles. Theoretical chemical physicists create simulations of the molecular processes probed in these experiments to both explain results and guide future investigations. The goals of chemical physics research include understanding chemical structures and reactions at the quantum mechanical level, elucidating the structure and reactivity of gas phase ions and radicals, and discovering accurate approximations to make the physics of chemical phenomena computationally accessible. Chemical physicists are looking for answers to such questions as:

Can we experimentally test quantum mechanical predictions of the vibrations and rotations of simple molecules? Or even those of complex molecules (such as proteins)?
Can we develop more accurate methods for calculating the electronic structure and properties of molecules?
Can we understand chemical reactions from first principles?
Why do quantum dots start blinking (in a pattern suggesting fractal kinetics^{[citation needed]}) after absorbing photons?
How do chemical reactions really take place?
What is the step-by-step process that occurs when an isolated molecule becomes solvated? Or when a whole ensemble of molecules becomes solvated?
Can we use the properties of negative ions to determine molecular structures, understand the dynamics of chemical reactions, or explain photodissociation?
Why does a stream of soft x-rays knock enough electrons out of the atoms in a xenon cluster to cause the cluster to explode?

Journals

The Journal of Chemical Physics
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Journal of Physical Chemistry A
Journal of Physical Chemistry B
Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
Chemical Physics Letters
Chemical Physics
ChemPhysChem
Molecular Physics (journal)

References

↑ Slater, J.C. (1939). Introduction to Chemical Physics.
↑ Detail for CIP Code 40.0508

0.00

(0 votes)

[1] Slater, J.C. (1939). Introduction to Chemical Physics.

[2] Detail for CIP Code 40.0508

[1]

[2]

v t e Branches of chemistry
Glossary of chemical formulas List of biomolecules List of inorganic compounds Periodic table
Physical	Chemical kinetics Chemical physics Chemical thermodynamics Cryochemistry Nuclear chemistry Electrochemistry Femtochemistry Geochemistry Micromeritics Photochemistry Quantum chemistry Solid-state chemistry Spectroscopy Spin chemistry Surface science Thermochemistry
Organic	Biochemistry Bioorganic chemistry Biophysical chemistry Chemical biology Clinical chemistry Fullerene chemistry Medicinal chemistry Molecular biology Neurochemistry Physical organic chemistry Polymer chemistry
Inorganic	Bioinorganic chemistry Bioorganometallic chemistry Ceramic chemistry Cluster chemistry Coordination chemistry Materials science Organometallic chemistry Physical inorganic chemistry
Others	Actinide chemistry Analytical chemistry Astrochemistry Atmospheric chemistry Carbochemistry Petrochemistry Carbohydrate chemistry Chemistry education Clay chemistry Click chemistry Computational chemistry Cosmochemistry Environmental chemistry Food chemistry Forensic chemistry Green chemistry Ocean chemistry Post-mortem chemistry Sonochemistry Stereochemistry Supramolecular chemistry Theoretical chemistry Wet chemistry
See also	History of chemistry Nobel Prize in Chemistry Timeline of chemistry Timeline of chemical element discoveries The central science Chemical reaction Chemical element Chemical compound Atom Molecule Ion Chemical bond
Category Commons Portal WikiProject

Chemical physics

Topic: Physics

Contents

What chemical physicists do

Journals

See also

References