Quantum Chemistry Flashcards

Flashcards about Quantum Chemistry to help students review lecture notes and prepare for exams

What is quantum mechanics?

It explains everything which we can’t explain with classical mechanics.

What is wave particle duality?

That subatomic molecules behave in both ways as waves, but also as particles at the same time.

What scale is classical mechanics good at describing?

Macroscale. So understanding how big objects move.

What is quantum chemistry important for?

Understanding what an atom looks like. Understanding how bonding works and understanding how molecules interact with each other.

Who derived a mathematical explanation for some phenomena that were previously unknown, marking the beginning of quantum theory?

Max Planck in the 1900s.

What work did Einstein win the Nobel prize for?

Einstein's explanation of the photoelectric effect.

Who derived mathematical descriptions of quantum applied to an electron in atoms?

Heisenberg and Schrodinger.

What do the Schrodinger and Heisenberg equations do?

They encompass everything that can possibly happen to an atom or to a subatomic molecule.

What did Maxwell accurately describe?

Electromagnetic radiation works.

How does quantum theory explain the blackbody radiation spectrum?

It treats the system as quantised states rather than a continuum, explaining the UV catastrophe.

What is threshold frequency in the context of the photoelectric effect?

The minimum energy required to remove an electron from a metal surface.

How does the photoelectric effect experiment work with a detector or photocell?

Bombarding a metal with light and measuring the emitted electrons to understand surface properties, with a voltmeter indicating electron velocity and energy.

What did Compton observe in his scattering experiment?

The change in wavelength of scattered X-rays varies with the scattering angle, indicating a change in momentum.

What did Davisson and Girmer's experiment demonstrate?

Electrons, when diffracted through nickel foil, create concentric rings, indicating they behave as waves.