The Fundamental Principles of Physics: From Atom to Molecule

Description

Starting from the fundamental constituents of matter, this book provides a more precise idea of what an atom or a molecule is by using theories which reproduce the experimental behaviour of matter. Aware of the comprehension difficulties that quantum theory can raise in the minds of students, the book insists on the importance of the physical principles which underlie it, such as the Coulomb relationship, the particle-wave duality, the notion of indeterminism, presence probability and the virial theorem. Contents Preface Foreword Chapter I I-I. The Macroscopic and Microscopic Domains I-II. Highlighting the Complexity of Atoms I-III. Chemical Elements I-IV. Periodic Classification of Elements (Descriptive) I-V. Tutorial for Chapter I Chapter II II-I. Some Reminders About the Wave-Like Nature of Light II-II. The Corpuscular Aspect of Light II-IV. Tutorial for Chapter II Chapter III III-I. The Davisson and Germer Experiment III-II. The Jönsson Experiment (1961) III-III. The Möllenstedt Experiment (1955) III-IV. The Meaning of the Square of the Amplitude III-V. Tutorial for Chapter III Chapter IV IV-I. The Franck-Hertz Experiment IV-II. The Emission Spectrum of Atomic Hydrogen IV-III. The Absorption Spectrum Of Atomic Hydrogen IV-IV. Generalization to Hydrogenic Atoms IV-V. Tutorial for Chapter IV Chapter V V-I. Bohr’s Model of Hydrogenic Atoms V-II. Perfecting Bohr’s Model V-III. Tutorial for Chapter V Chapter VI VI-I. Theoretical Explanation of Energy Quantization VI-II. Schrödinger’s Model of the Hydrogen Atom VI-III. Extension of the Model to Polyelectronic Atoms VI-IV. Tutorial for Chapter VI Chapter VII VII-I. The Chemical Bond According to Lewis VII-II. The Chemical Bond according to Molecular Orbital (MO) Theory VII-III. Theories Dealing with Molecular Geometry VII-IV. Extended Systems and the Hückel Lcao Method VII-V. Tutorial for Chapter VII Chapter VIII VIII-I. Electrocyclic Reactions VIII-II. Woodward-Hoffmann’s Selection Rules Conclusion Acknowledgements Index