--- product_id: 74344628 title: "Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach" price: "$103.31" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/74344628-physical-chemistry-a-molecular-approach store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach **Price:** $103.31 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach - **How much does it cost?** $103.31 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/74344628-physical-chemistry-a-molecular-approach) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach [McQuarrie, Donald A.] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach Review: The logical way to teach p chem - The subtitle "A molecular approach" is extremely fitting for this unique P. Chem textbook. Many P. Chem textbooks (like Atkins et al) start with thermodynamics and thermochemistry. However, there is a problem -- statistical mechanics is necessary for any reasonable modern understanding of thermodynamics. This statistical mechanics is often relegated to a later chapter, or selected results are quoted without discussion. Quantum theory, on which much of stat mech is hinged, is usually somewhere in the middle of the book where chemical bonding is described, after thermo, but before a treatment of kinetics and transition state theory, sometimes with implicit statistical mechanical assumptions. While this is consistent with the historical development of the subject, it gives the field a disjointed impression and is illogical and poor pedagogy. McQuarrie is revolutionary in that it teaches the fundamentals of quantum theory first, and bases all the other subjects of the book on a microscopic, atomic/molecular standpoint. This puts everything on solid intellectual ground, and students see the subject presented in a unified, logical, and deductive fashion, without having to accept too many "facts" on faith. It is a pleasure to read, with adequate mathematical review for students whose background in calculus/complex numbers/probability might be weak. There is more than enough in this text for a two semester quantum and thermo/stat mech. sequence. There is also a good deal on computational chemistry. (Unfortunately, DFT is not discussed, although McQuarrie's q chem book discusses it in detail.) Also, the typesetting, done with LaTeX (MathTime modification) is aesthetically pleasing to behold. Review: This book is amazing! - This book is amazing! I love how thorough this book is in its discussion of the mathematics and intuition needed for understanding quantum mechanics. The problems at the end of each chapter are also super helpful, which often play very nicely off the concepts talked about in the chapter and also help prepare you for concepts to be talked about in following chapters. Likewise, the problems are focused on helping the student solve the problem, where the problem statement often specifies answers you must prove along the way to the final result. An interesting part of this book is also the math chapters. Before chapters in which a new mathematical tool is used, a math chapter focused on introducing the math tool is discussed in order to bring the reader up to speed. I will say these chapters are quite good for review, but they are probably not as good for a student with no experience in the topic previously. Overall if you have a decent background in vector calculus, linear algebra, a little bit of probability, and partial differential equations, then you’ll probably cruise through most of this book. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,361,972 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (217) | | Dimensions | 0.79 x 5.51 x 8.66 inches | | Edition | First Edition | | ISBN-10 | 8130919192 | | ISBN-13 | 978-8184959888 | | Item Weight | 3.17 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 1296 pages | | Publication date | January 1, 2011 | | Publisher | Viva Books | ## Images ![Physical Chemistry: A Molecular Approach - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71F231-YUML.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The logical way to teach p chem *by T***S on April 7, 2018* The subtitle "A molecular approach" is extremely fitting for this unique P. Chem textbook. Many P. Chem textbooks (like Atkins et al) start with thermodynamics and thermochemistry. However, there is a problem -- statistical mechanics is necessary for any reasonable modern understanding of thermodynamics. This statistical mechanics is often relegated to a later chapter, or selected results are quoted without discussion. Quantum theory, on which much of stat mech is hinged, is usually somewhere in the middle of the book where chemical bonding is described, after thermo, but before a treatment of kinetics and transition state theory, sometimes with implicit statistical mechanical assumptions. While this is consistent with the historical development of the subject, it gives the field a disjointed impression and is illogical and poor pedagogy. McQuarrie is revolutionary in that it teaches the fundamentals of quantum theory first, and bases all the other subjects of the book on a microscopic, atomic/molecular standpoint. This puts everything on solid intellectual ground, and students see the subject presented in a unified, logical, and deductive fashion, without having to accept too many "facts" on faith. It is a pleasure to read, with adequate mathematical review for students whose background in calculus/complex numbers/probability might be weak. There is more than enough in this text for a two semester quantum and thermo/stat mech. sequence. There is also a good deal on computational chemistry. (Unfortunately, DFT is not discussed, although McQuarrie's q chem book discusses it in detail.) Also, the typesetting, done with LaTeX (MathTime modification) is aesthetically pleasing to behold. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book is amazing! *by B***N on May 16, 2021* This book is amazing! I love how thorough this book is in its discussion of the mathematics and intuition needed for understanding quantum mechanics. The problems at the end of each chapter are also super helpful, which often play very nicely off the concepts talked about in the chapter and also help prepare you for concepts to be talked about in following chapters. Likewise, the problems are focused on helping the student solve the problem, where the problem statement often specifies answers you must prove along the way to the final result. An interesting part of this book is also the math chapters. Before chapters in which a new mathematical tool is used, a math chapter focused on introducing the math tool is discussed in order to bring the reader up to speed. I will say these chapters are quite good for review, but they are probably not as good for a student with no experience in the topic previously. Overall if you have a decent background in vector calculus, linear algebra, a little bit of probability, and partial differential equations, then you’ll probably cruise through most of this book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Pchem reference at a reasonalbe price *by N***O on March 10, 2020* This is the indian edition. Great text for self-paced stduy. Used as a secondary reference for my Pchem class. The math in particluar is more detailed and easier to follow than other pchem texts --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/74344628-physical-chemistry-a-molecular-approach](https://www.desertcart.us/products/74344628-physical-chemistry-a-molecular-approach) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-04-25*