A leading book for 80 years, Silbey & Alberty’s Physical Chemistry features exceptionally clear explanations of the concepts and methods of physical chemistry for students who have had a year of calculus and a year of physics. The basic theory of chemistry is presented from the viewpoint of academic physical chemists, but the many practical applications of physical chemistry are integrated throughout the text.  The problems in the text also reflect a skillful blend of theory and practical applications.

This text is ideally suited for a standard undergraduate physical chemistry course taken by chemistry, chemical engineering, and biochemistry majors in their junior or senior year.

Robert J. Silbey is the Class of 1942 Professor of Chemistry at MIT. His research involves theoretical studies of single-molecule spectroscopy at low temperatures, energy and electron transfer and relaxation in molecular aggregates, the optical and electronic properties of conjugated oligomers and polymers, and the transport of charge in organic systems.