Chemical physics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 workers often practice in each field during the course of their research.^[1]

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) after absorbing photons of light?
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

References

↑ Slater, J.C. (1939). Introduction to Chemical Physics.

v t e Branches of chemistry

Physical	Chemical kinetics Chemical physics Electrochemistry Femtochemistry Geochemistry Photochemistry Quantum chemistry Solid-state chemistry Spectroscopy Surface science Thermochemistry

Organic	Biochemistry Bioorganic chemistry Biophysical chemistry Chemical biology Fullerene chemistry Medicinal chemistry Neurochemistry Organic chemistry Organometallic chemistry Pharmacy Physical organic chemistry Polymer chemistry

Inorganic	Bioinorganic chemistry Cluster chemistry Inorganic chemistry Materials science Nuclear chemistry

Others	Analytical chemistry Astrochemistry Chemistry education Click chemistry Computational chemistry Cosmochemistry Environmental chemistry Food chemistry Green chemistry Supramolecular chemistry Theoretical chemistry Wet chemistry

Dictionary of chemical formulas List of biomolecules List of inorganic compounds Periodic table

v t e Branches of physics

Divisions	Applied physics Experimental physics Theoretical physics

Energy and motion	Classical mechanics Lagrangian mechanics Hamiltonian mechanics Continuum mechanics Celestial mechanics Statistical mechanics Thermodynamics Fluid mechanics Quantum mechanics

Waves and fields	Gravitation Electromagnetism Quantum field theory Relativity Special relativity General relativity

Physical sciences and mathematics	Accelerator physics Acoustics Astrophysics Heliophysics Nuclear astrophysics Solar physics Space physics Stellar physics Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Chemical physics Computational physics Condensed matter physics Solid-state physics Digital physics Engineering physics Material physics Mathematical physics Nuclear physics Optics Geometric optics Nonlinear optics Physical optics Quantum optics Particle physics Astroparticle physics Phenomenology Plasma Polymer physics Statistical physics

Physics and biology / geology / economics	Biophysics Biomechanics Medical physics Neurophysics Agrophysics Soil physics Atmospheric physics Econophysics Geophysics Psychophysics

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Chemical physics

What chemical physicists do

Journals

See also

References