Suggested preparation: Calculus, physics and undergraduate chemistry.
Optional preparation: Free Yale Course: Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Mechanisms.
About this course
Connect quantum mechanics with molecular structure and spectroscopy. The lectures develop wave-mechanical ideas and the use of light and electronic-structure models to investigate molecules.
Topics and lesson examples
- 1. Quantum Mechanics—Historical Background, Photoelectric Effect, Compton Scattering
- 9. The Harmonic Oscillator: Creation and Annihilation Operators
- 18. Rigid Rotor II. Derivation by Commutation Rules
- 27. Non-Degenerate Perturbation Theory III
- 36. Time Dependence of Two-Level Systems: Density Matrix, Rotating Wave Approximation
Course at a glance
| Provider | MIT |
|---|---|
| Platform | YouTube · MIT OpenCourseWare |
| Access | Free Video |
| Level | Professional — WikiFree study-level assessment |
| Language | English |
| Available lessons | 36 |
| Video duration | 30h 58m · self-paced |
| Details checked | 10 October 2026 |
Preparation and study approach
Suggested preparation: Calculus, physics and undergraduate chemistry.
Follow the available videos in sequence, pausing to summarize the main argument or reconstruct a worked example. Keep a short list of assumptions, unfamiliar terms and questions to revisit. Additional reading, problem solving and practice will take time beyond the listed video duration.
Using this video classroom
Select a lesson from the list, or search for a topic. Previous and Next move through the sequence. You can mark lessons complete; progress is stored in this browser without a WikiFree account.
Free access and course scope
The public MIT OpenCourseWare videos in this classroom are free to watch. This listing provides the available playlist recordings, which may include selected lectures, recitations, demonstrations or supporting discussions rather than every component of the original campus course. Textbooks, equipment, software licenses, supervised labs, graded assignments and instructor feedback are not supplied by WikiFree. No purchase is required to watch the videos or use the note-based study approach above.
WikiFree independently organizes these resources for self-paced study. Watching does not award an MIT certificate, academic credit or admission to MIT.
Video provider and credit: MIT OpenCourseWare on YouTube. WikiFree titles, descriptions and cover artwork are independently prepared.
Related courses for your next step
- Review a lower-level optionFree Yale Course: Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Mechanisms
Focus: Chemical structure · Bonding models
Intermediate - Compare another approachFree MIT Course: Molecular Quantum Mechanics
Focus: MIT Course: Molecular Quantum Mechanics
Professional - Compare another approachFree MIT Course: Molecular Spectroscopy and Chemical Dynamics
Focus: MIT Course: Molecular Spectroscopy and Chemical Dynamics
Professional
Compare course focus, level and study time
| Course | Level | Focus | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| This course — Free MIT Course: Physical Chemistry and Quantum Molecular Structure | Professional | 1. Quantum Mechanics—Historical Background, Photoelectric Effect, Compton Scattering · 9. The Harmonic Oscillator: Creation and Annihilation Operators · 18. Rigid Rotor II. Derivation by Commutation Rules | 30h 58m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free Yale Course: Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Mechanisms | Intermediate | Chemical structure · Bonding models · Stereochemistry | 30h 4m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: Molecular Quantum Mechanics | Professional | MIT Course: Molecular Quantum Mechanics | 5h 7m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: Molecular Spectroscopy and Chemical Dynamics | Professional | MIT Course: Molecular Spectroscopy and Chemical Dynamics | 34h 2m of video; practice time is additional |
Provider: MIT. Videos play from the MIT OpenCourseWare channel on YouTube.
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