Engel and Reid (both chemistry, U. of Washington) focus on developing their topics logically so students can understand the concepts behind thermodynamics, perceive the relevance of thermodynamics to chemistry, develop statistical mechanics from the ground up, explore issues in kinetics, use web-based simulations, and improve problem-solving skills. They cover the fundamental concepts: heat, work, internal energy, enthalpy, and the First Law of Thermodynamics; thermochemistry; entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics; chemical equilibrium; the properties of real gases; phase diagrams and the relative stability of solids, liquids and gases; ideal and real solutions; electrochemical cells, batteries and fuel cells; probability; the Boltzmann distribution; ensemble and molecular partition functions; statistical thermodynamics; the kinetic theory of gases; transport phenomena; elementary chemical kinetics; and complex reaction mechanisms. They include exercises with each chapter and an answer key. This book is the first volume in Engel and Reid’s text, Physical Chemistry, 1st Edition (0-8053-3825-X). Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less