Shida T. The Chemical Bond: A Fundamental Quantum-Mechanical Picture

Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2004. – 215 p. – ISBN: 978-3-642-05838-7Quantum mechanics has made rapid progress since its birth, in the last three quarters of the last century, to the current level where most problems of atoms and molecules are now solved. This is in contrast to the history of traditional chemistry which advanced in small, time-taking steps. Fortunately, however, chemists have been eager to understand and apply the essence of quantum mechanics since its very beginning to foster a field called quantum chemistry. Behind the successful application of this new field was a great deal of ground-leveling effort to accept this new science, i.e., the accumulation and compilation of knowledge based on a vast amount of experimental fact and intuitive inference within the framework of pre-quantum theory. C.N. Lewis (1875-1946) and I.Langmuir (18811957) among many others are such forerunners. The Nobel prize laureates who introduced quantum theory into chemistry include L.C. Pauling (1954), R.S. Mulliken (1966), C. Herzberg (1971), K. Fukui (1981), R. Hoffmann (1981), and J.A. Pop Ie (1998). The fundamental understanding of chemical bonds, the theme of this book, owes very much to these pioneers.
Today, computer analysis based on the molecular orbital and the density functional theories is very popular.
Recently, the collegiate curricula in physics and chemistry is confronted by serious problems owing to the (Japanese) government's policy of simplification of education in high schools. This problem, as it manifests itself in such a fundamental field as quantum chemistry, will become ever the more serious. Many former textbooks used for undergraduates are now being regarded as graduate-level texts. Because of this trend, however, clear and well-balanced textbooks are being published.The Electron: A Primadonna in Chemical Bonding
Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics: A Prerequisite for Understanding the Chemical Bond
One-Electron Atoms: The Fundamental System
Multi-Electron Atoms: The Building Blocks that Produce the Tremendous Variety of Molecules
Born-Oppenheimer Approximation: Separation of Electronic Motion from Nuclear Motion in Chemical Bonding
The Hydrogen Molecular Ion: The Simplest, but the Most Fundamental System for Understanding Chemical Bonds
The Hydrogen Molecule: Why are Two Neutral Hydrogen Atoms Stabilized by Simply Approaching Each Other?
Polyatomic Molecules: Towards an Understanding of Chemical Bonds in Polyatomic Molecules