Quantum Chemistry & Spectroscopy: A Guided Inquiry
Shepherd, T. and A. Grushow. Lancaster, PA: The POGIL Project; Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2021.
Print ISBN: 978-1-792-49072-9 EBook ISBN: 9781792497018
288 pages Print: $35 EBook: $28
About the Book
Quantum Chemistry & Spectroscopy: A Guided Inquiry was developed to facilitate more student-centered classroom instruction of physical chemistry using Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL). The activities guide students through a wide variety of topics found in a typical undergraduate quantum physical chemistry course. The text introduces quantum phenomena, presents the postulates of quantum mechanics, and then applies these postulates to model problems of increasing sophistication – the particle-on-a-line (in one and two dimensions), the harmonic oscillator, the rigid rotor, and the hydrogen atom. The course fundamentals culminate with the electronic structure of multielectron atoms, term symbols, and Slater determinants. In addition, the text allows instructors to incorporate advanced topics in symmetry, mathematical structure of quantum theory, and spectroscopy to suit their course either interspersed with the fundamentals or at the end of the course. The guided inquiry activities pair well with a variety of physical chemistry texts and are appropriate for quantum first and thermodynamics first courses.
About the Authors
Tricia Shepherd received a B.S. and M.S. in chemistry from the University of Idaho and a Ph.D. in theoretical physical chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology. Her first academic position was at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, where she rose through the ranks to Professor. She then moved to Austin, TX where she was Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at St. Edward’s University until 2018. Dr. Shepherd has most recently taught physical chemistry courses at Moravian University, Franklin & Marshall College, and Tuskegee University. Within The POGIL Project, she has served as a regional coordinator, facilitated workshops, and contributed to the POGIL Activity Clearinghouse (PAC) in support of activity development and dissemination. In 2016, she received the POGIL Early Achievement (PEACH) Award.
Alex Grushow is currently a Professor of Chemistry at Rider University and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Since his days as an undergraduate, he has been fascinated by intermolecular forces and has published papers on molecules held together by hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, dative bonding and ion-molecule interactions. He has worked as a Program Director for the National Science Foundation and has worked in chemistry examination development for both ETS and the ACS Examinations Institute. He has been heavily involved in innovating the teaching of physical chemistry, starting in graduate school. He was a member of the Physical Chemistry Online Consortium (PCOL) and an early adopter of POGIL. A former member of The POGIL Project Steering Committee, he has also been involved in the POGIL-PCL Project and is a co-host of the POGIL Podcast.
