Evaluation Report Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/11

3.7  Physical chemistry
In its contemporary definition, physical chemistry is the application of the laws, 
principles and experimental techniques of physics to chemical problems. Physical 
chemistry thus covers an extremely wide range of topics and overlaps strongly with 
modern nanoscience and molecular physics. In the present evaluation of Finnish 
chemistry, the panel has evaluated physical chemistry topics ranging from relativistic 
theoretical chemistry and quantum simulations of liquids to the chemistry of printing 
and wood. Thus, physical chemistry encompasses everything from the study of a 
single isolated molecule to the complex macromolecular interactions taking place in 
the extraction and refining of biomaterials from wood materials. As theoretical 
chemistry in Finland is described separately, we will here focus on experimental 
physical chemistry in Finland.
Physical chemistry in Finland is in general at a very high scientific level, in