Electronic Structure, Properties, and the Periodic Law [antikvár]

PREFACE Modern chemistry is indeed a complex and multifaceted body of knowledge. So varied are the topics treated that it seems difficult to find a single theme to characterize the field. However, when the developments of the past few decades of chemical research are carefully considered, it becomes apparent that, in all areas of chemistry, there has been a strong and continued trend toward the building of a series of theoretical concepts in terms of which it is possible to correlate the results of manifold observations of our physical surroundings with a consistent and dependable picture of the sub-microscopic structure of the material world. With each passing year theories of the structures of atoms, molecules, and crystals have become more refined, and use of these concepts to explain experimental results and to predict the results of experiments as yet untried has become more effective. Far from being the purely empirical science of the 19th century, the chemistry of today is growing ever more deductive. It is, therefore, of greatest importance for the student to taste the excitement of the new chemistry early in his study so that as he develops his knowledge of the body of chemical information, he may also breathe the spirit which gives life and unity to this most challenging field of study. In this small textbook, we shall examine first the manner in which the structures of the various atoms change with atomic number, and hence with position in the Periodic System. We shall, in due course, find in this examination the explanation for the Periodic Law. Having laid this base for