Bachelor of Science in Chemistry - Chemical Physics

SUNY Stony Brook University

The Chemical Physics Option of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry provides the student with a course of study concentrating on the interface between Physics and Chemistry. The course requirements therefore give more emphasis to physical chemistry, physics and mathemetics, which form the foundation for a detailed description of how atoms, molecules and solids are put together, interact and react. This is a course of study which will be of interest to students preparing for careers in the more quantitative aspects of chemistry, such as physical chemistry, spectroscopy, analytical chemistry, theoretical chemistry, nuclear chemistry, biophysical chemistry, polymer chemistry, electronics and materials science. The name "Chemical Physics", just a reversal of the root words in "Physical Chemistry", has come to denote the area of chemistry where the basic laws of physics, such as quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, are applied to the detailed understanding of the behavior of chemical systems. The systems of interest range from atomic nuclei to biological molecules, but the unifying theme of chemical physics is the quantitative understanding of atoms and molecules which are often more complex than those of interest to physicists. Work in chemical physics can be either theoretical or experimental. Theoreticians attempt to create new mathematical models to explain the behavior of matter and use these models to calculate chemical and physical properties. Often their work involves the extensive use of powerful computers. Experimentalists use the latest technological tools to invent and use new methods of probing the intimate details of chemical systems. Commonly they construct unique instruments using lasers, accelerators, high-vacuum systems, and other state-of-the-art devices. The models and techniques developed by Chemical Physicists are often adapted and used by the rest of the chemical community. Due to its fundamental nature a background in Chemical Physics provides a good foundation for careers ranging across the entire spectrum of chemical pursuits.