計算機化学、ナノ・スマート材料、そして21世紀に入って発見されたグラフェンを用いた研究など、極めて重要な分野であることに疑いの余地がない一方で、量子力学、熱力学、統計熱力学といった物理・数学の手法に根差していることから、化学の中でもとっつきにくいイメージの物理化学。『アトキンス物理化学』の著者が、難解と思われるこの分野の概念や考え方をわかりやすく解説します。(cf. The Laws of Thermodynamics, #226)
    

• Covers all the aspects of the subject in a clear, accessible, mathematics-free style
• Shows how physical chemists think about their subject and borrow ideas from physics to explain the phenomena
• Ideal for chemistry students and the general reader looking to learn more about the subject
• Demonstrates the central contributions physical chemistry makes towards our understanding of chemical concepts and the natural world

With the development of a variety of exciting new areas of research involving computational chemistry, nano- and smart materials, and applications of the recently discovered graphene, there can be no doubt that physical chemistry is a vitally important field. It is also perceived as the most daunting branch of chemistry, being necessarily grounded in physics and mathematics and drawing as it does on quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and statistical thermodynamics.
  
With his typical clarity and hardly a formula in sight, Peter Atkins' Very Short Introduction explores the contributions physical chemistry has made to all branches of chemistry. Providing an insight into its central concepts Atkins reveals the cultural contributions physical chemistry has made to our understanding of the natural world. 
 
 
Reading Guide