The aim of this course is to study the rate and mechanisms of chemical reactions, homogeneous, heterogeneous, and catalytic, and the factors that influence them. The course covers both chemical kinetics and electrochemistry, emphasizing the fundamental principles governing reaction rates and electrochemical processes.

In the chemical kinetics part, topics include the definition and determination of reaction rates, orders of reaction, and rate laws for elementary and complex mechanisms. The influence of temperature on reaction rate is analyzed through the Arrhenius equation, collision theory, and transition state theory. Mechanisms of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis are also examined, with emphasis on adsorption phenomena, reaction pathways (Langmuir-Hinshelwood, Langmuir-Rideal), and catalyst synthesis and selectivity.

The electrochemistry section focuses on the thermodynamics and kinetics of electrochemical systems, including galvanic and electrolytic cells, Faraday’s laws, and the properties of electrolytic solutions at and away from equilibrium. Special attention is given to electrochemical interfaces, models of the electrical double layer (Helmholtz, Gouy–Chapman, and Stern), and charge transfer phenomena. The course concludes with the kinetic analysis of electrochemical reactions, covering electrode potentials, overpotentials, the Butler–Volmer and Tafel equations, and the effects of mass transport and diffusion on electrochemical reaction rates.