Inorganic Physical Chemistry

Abstract

This chapter concerns those parts of physical chemistry that are of some use for materials chemists. It has been placed at the end in the book rather than at the beginning, which is unconventional. For sound didactic reasons, textbooks generally start out with physical models for chemical processes. After that, facts are given to support the models while the facts that do not fit well with the models are left out. The customary hierarchy is reversed here (with the exception of the chemical bond) because for actual practice, facts come first and theories second. Also selection is necessary: the parts of physical chemistry that are most relevant for the synthesis of inorganic materials are chemical equilibrium thermodynamics, phase diagrams, driving forces, and homogeneous kinetics based on averages. There are some other aspects that are occasionally invoked in materials chemistry but are not discussed here, e.g., the deviations from thermodynamic ideality, local equilibrium, surface tensions, and misfit terms in driving forces during materials formation. These are omitted because they are refinements of models that themselves are not of first importance for materials and remain so after the efforts to improve them.

Toute règle qui fonctionne mérite d’être prise en considération.

J. M. Guéhenno, 1993