Description
CAMBRIDGE The Quantum Theory of Unimolecular Reactions 2010 Edition by H. O. Pritchard
When this book was first published in 1984, the discovery of laser-induced mutliphoton chemical reactions had led to a resurgence of interest in the theory of unimolecular reactions. Attempts to explain these phenomena had been built on a very imperfectly understood theory of thermal unimolecular reactions. In this book, Professor Pritchard presents a treatment that dissects the unimolecular reaction process into a sequence of distinct phases, so that the assumptions of the theory can be clearly seen, and confusion over the theory avoided. As such it provides a self-consistent foundation upon which to begin to treat these phenomena. Postgraduate students and research workers in physical chemistry will find this an invaluable textbook on a topic that has suddenly become of primary importance. Table of contents :- 1. The observed properties of thermal unimolecular reactions; 2. The master equation for internal relaxation in molecules; 3. Reaction as a perturbation of the internal relaxtion; 4. The specific rate function k(E) as an inverse Laplace transform; 5. Unimolecular fall-off in strong collision systems; 6. A molecular dynamic approach to specific rate functions; 7. Building in the randomisation processes; 8. Weak collision processes; 9. How well does it all work?; Appendix.