Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2025/paper-2/a6/b/i/solution

Relative to the ground state, the quantum harmonic oscillator levels are . Put . Summing the geometric series gives the vibrational partition function . Therefore the vibrational internal energy is
The omitted zero-point energy would add if absolute oscillator energies were used.

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