PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does physical chemistry mean? 

• PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY (noun)
  The noun PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY has 1 sense:

1. the branch of chemistry dealing with the physical properties of chemical substances

  Familiarity information: PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The branch of chemistry dealing with the physical properties of chemical substances

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("physical chemistry" is a kind of...):

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Domain member category:

interface ((chemistry) a surface forming a common boundary between two things (two objects or liquids or chemical phases))

osmotic pressure ((physical chemistry) the pressure exerted by a solution necessary to prevent osmosis into that solution when it is separated from the pure solvent by a semipermeable membrane)

form; phase ((physical chemistry) a distinct state of matter in a system; matter that is identical in chemical composition and physical state and separated from other material by the phase boundary)

plasma ((physical chemistry) a fourth state of matter distinct from solid or liquid or gas and present in stars and fusion reactors; a gas becomes a plasma when it is heated until the atoms lose all their electrons, leaving a highly electrified collection of nuclei and free electrons)

system ((physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium)

ionise; ionize (convert into ions)

ionise; ionize (become converted into ions)

 Context examples 

A branch of physical chemistry that seeks to explain time-dependent phenomena in terms of the detailed motion of the nuclei and electrons that constitute the system.

(Chemical Dynamics, NCI Thesaurus)

Chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics, and spectroscopy are some areas of chemistry comprising the bulk of physical chemistry.

(Physical Chemistry, NCI Thesaurus)