Physical

Physical Chemistry is concerned with the structure and dynamics of atoms and molecules and, in particular, with the development of quantitative descriptions for processes which occur at the submicroscopic level. Typical of the kinds of questions which physical chemists address are the arrangement of electrons in chemical bonds, the rate at which molecules rotate, the position and rate of attainment of equilibrium in mixtures of different chemical species, and the three dimensional structure of enzyme molecules. One of the most rewarding aspects of physical chemistry is that the approach used to answer these types of questions is general and can be applied to a wide variety of chemical systems. Thus at Michigan State University the faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students in physical chemistry are at work in problems ranging from those encountered with isolated atoms and small molecules, through large molecules of biological significance such as proteins and nucleic acids, to systems which contain several phases.