Physicochemical Mechanics

Physicochemical mechanics is a self-contained theoretical framework that can be used to study and model physicochemical processes, based on well-known concepts taken from classical mechanics. This intuitive approach exploits the principles of Newtonian mechanics alongside Einstein's theory of Brownian motion in order to accurately describe complex biochemical systems, and can be used to model a broad range of phenomena including thermodiffusion, transmembrane transport and protein folding. The book begins by presenting the basic principles of classical mechanics and thermodynamics, before introducing the two new postulates of physicochemical mechanics. It is shown that these foundational concepts can be applied to systematically describe all major mass transport and equilibrium equations, and many practical applications of the theory are discussed. This text will be of interest to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in biological physics, biochemistry and chemical engineering, and a useful resource for researchers seeking an introduction to this modern theoretical approach.

• Each chapter opens with a short summary that provides an overview of the content covered
• Includes a review of the basics of classical mechanics, statistical mechanics and thermodynamics to provide a complete and definitive guide to the theory, reducing the need for preliminary study
• Describes more than fifty different laws and relations using the theoretical framework of physicochemical mechanics, including Fick's laws of diffusion, Ohm's law and Onsager's reciprocal relations