The exceptional quality of previous editions has been built upon to make the twelfth edition of Atkins' Physical Chemistry even more closely suited to the needs of both lecturers and students. The writing style has been refreshed in collaboration with current students of physical chemistry in order to retain the clarity for which the book is recognised while mirroring the way you read and engage with information.

The new edition is now available as an enhanced e-book, which offers you a richer, more dynamic learning experience. It does this by incorporating digital enhancements that are carefully curated and thoughtfully inserted at meaningful points to enhance the learning experience. In addition, it offers formative auto-graded assessment materials to provide you with regular opportunities to test their understanding.

Digital enhancements introduced for the new edition include dynamic graphs, which you can interact with to explore how the manipulation of variables affects the results of the graphs; self-check questions at the end of every Topic; video content from physical chemists; and video tutorials to accompany each Focus, which dig deeper into the key equations introduced. There is also a new foundational prologue entitled 'Energy: A First Look', which summarizes key concepts that are best kept in mind right from the beginning of your physical chemistry studies.

The coupling of the broad coverage of the subject with a structure and use of pedagogy that is even more innovative will ensure Atkins' Physical Chemistry remains the textbook of choice for studying physical chemistry.

Focus 1: The properties of gases
Focus 2: The First Law
Focus 3: The Second and Third Laws
Focus 4: Physical transformations of pure substances
Focus 5: Simple mixtures
Focus 6: Chemical equilibrium
Focus 7: Quantum theory
Focus 8: Atomic structure and spectra
Focus 9: Molecular structure
Focus 10: Molecular symmetry
Focus 11: Molecular spectroscopy
Focus 12: Magnetic resonance
Focus 13: Statistical thermodynamics
Focus 14: Molecular interactions
Focus 15: Solids
Focus 16: Molecules in motion
Focus 17: Chemical kinetics
Focus 18: Reaction dynamics
Focus 19: Processes at solid surfaces

Peter Atkins , Fellow, University of Oxford

Julio de Paula , Professor of Chemistry, Lewis and Clark College

James Keeler , Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Cambridge

Peter Atkins is a fellow of Lincoln College in the University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor of Physical Chemistry. He is the author of over seventy books for students and a general audience. His texts are market leaders around the globe. A frequent lecturer in the United States and throughout the world, he has held visiting professorships in France, Israel, Japan, China, Russia, the USA, and New Zealand. He was the founding chairman of the Committee on Chemistry Education of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and was a member of IUPAC's Physical and Biophysical Chemistry Division. Peter was the 2016 recipient of the American Chemical Society's Grady-Stack Award for the communication of chemistry. Julio de Paula is a Professor of Chemistry, Lewis & Clark College. A native of Brazil, he received a B.A. degree in chemistry from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and a Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from Yale University. His research activities encompass the areas of molecular spectroscopy, biophysical chemistry, and nanoscience. He has taught courses in general chemistry, physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, instrumental analysis, and writing. Julio was a recipient of the 2020 STAR Award, given by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. James Keeler is Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, and Walters Fellow in Chemistry at Selwyn College. He received his first degree and doctorate from the University of Oxford, specializing in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. He is presently Head of Department, and before that was Director of Teaching in the department and also Senior Tutor at Selwyn College.