University Chemistry

What technical forces are shaping the modern world? Revolutionary developments in the union of chemistry and physics hold the key to solving unprecedented global problems; however, understanding the central role that chemistry and technical forces play in addressing these problems and shaping our modern world requires a grasp of fundamental concepts of energy and energy transformations.

Physical sciences are fundamental to an understanding of worldwide energy sources and constraints, energy forecasts, the technology connecting energy and climate, and the role of modern materials science. In this course, you will study industrial advances in solar cells, energy storage, and molecular imaging, and how international policies relate to these innovations. You’ll learn the role of energy in climate change and exactly how irreversible global climate change causes sea levels to rise, storms to become more powerful, and how large scale shifts in the climate structure trigger water and food shortages, as well as how technology advances to address these global issues.

PS11.1x: University Chemistry: Molecular Foundations and Global Frontiers is Part 1 of what will be a two-part course. Part 1 of this course will teach you the foundational principles of chemistry and energy: thermodynamics, entropy, free energy, equilibria, acid-base reactions, and electrochemistry. Instead of learning about these concepts in the abstract, case studies will be used to develop quantitative reasoning and to directly link these principles to current global strategies.

There is also an optional textbook available for purchase as a supplement to the course.

What you'll learn

• The fundamentals of chemistry, energy, and other elemental forces shaping the modern world
• The evolution of chemistry's role in addressing global challenges
• Core concepts of energy and energy transformations, including thermodynamics, chemical equilibria, acid/base and redox reactivity, and electrochemistry
• How to break down global problems to solve them more efficiently
• The importance of thermodynamics to the future of science