Quantum Theory of the Chemical Bond

The present text is a rational analysis of the concept of the chemical bond by means of the principles of wave mechanics. The discussion of the material has been arranged so as to render its main content comprehensible for readers who may not have had pre"ious training in quantum mechanics. The text comprises three major parts. It begins with an exposition of the fundamental ideas. In this section the principles are reviewed from which de Broglie developed his mechanics; this allows the book to be read by chemistry majors and freshmen alike. However, we believe that it may also be of interest to university-and college teachers who must include certain aspects of quantum chemistry into their courses while being insufficiently familiar with the subject. It may even be of interest to science teachers in secondary schools. Finally, having been a witness to the evolution of these notions for over a quarter of a century, we present certain concepts from a particular point of view which might prove attractive to chemists of all kinds, perhaps even quantum chemists. The second, more technical part summarizes the methods of constructing wave functions that describe the electrons in molecules. This section can only be fully appreciated by those readers who are familiar with some aspects of the algorithms used in quantum mechanics.