This book focuses on the fundamental phenomena at nanoscale. It covers synthesis, properties, characterization and computer modelling of nanomaterials, nanotechnologies, bionanotechnology, involving nanodevices. Further topics are imaging, measuring, modeling and manipulating of low dimensional matter at nanoscale. The topics covered in the book are of vital importance in a wide range of modern and emerging technologies employed or to be employed in most industries, communication, healthcare, energy, conservation , biology, medical science, food, environment, and education, and consequently have great impact on our society.

This book, a consecutive contribution to the series Challenges and Advances in Computational Chemistry and Physics, focuses on understanding the photoinduced processes in biological systems. Understanding and fine control of light fate in molecules is vital for the progress of society and environmental safety. Light induced changes of various physico-chemical and spectroscopic properties in nucleic acids and proteins is the basis of fundamental biological events such as vision, DNA photodamage or photosensing. The investigation of these processes is challenging to both theoretical and experimental studies. This volume encompasses the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics theory in several subfields, including: advanced computational methods for nucleic acids and proteins systems; dynamics, spectroscopic and physico-chemical properties of biological photoreceptors; DNA photodamage. This book is of interest to readers in both fundamental and application-oriented research by overviewing recent achievements in computational modeling of excited states in nucleic acids and proteins.

The concept of a chemical bond evolved from a variety of experimental observations. It became useful to understand, at times even predict, the molecular structure, reactivity and mechanism of chemical reactions. Every aspect of the concept of bonding received a quantitative interpretation from the advent of quantum mechanics and its application to chemistry.In Lectures on Chemical Bonding and Quantum Chemistry the reader will find a comprehensive discourse on the basic interpretation of the chemical bond as well as current understanding in terms of a 'dancing' molecule that not only travels, rotates and pulsates around an equilibrium molecular structure, but also interacts and collides with other molecules, thereby transferring linear and angular momentum characteristics and adjusting total energies. One will also find a thorough survey of quantum mechanical methodologies for calculation of molecular characteristics in specific states and their changes under spectroscopic transitions, tunneling, electron and proton transfer phenomena, and so on. Guides to more advanced levels of theory are also provided.

The series Structure and Bonding publishes critical Reviews on Topics of Research concerned with chemical structure and bonding. The scope of the series spans the entire Periodic Table and addresses structure and bonding issues associated with all of the elements. It also focuses attention on new and developing areas of modern structural and theoretical chemistry such as nanostructures, molecular electronics, designed molecular solids, surfaces, metal clusters and supramolecular structures. Physical and spectroscopic techniques used to determine, examine and model structures fall within the purview of Structure and Bonding to the extent that the focus is on the scientific results obtained and not on specialist information concerning the techniques themselves. Issues associated with the development of bonding models and generalizations that illuminate the reactivity pathways and rates of chemical processes are also relevant. The individual volumes in the series are thematic. The goal of each volume is to give the reader, whether at a university or in industry, a comprehensive overview of an area where new insights are emerging that are of interest to a larger scientific audience. Thus each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years should be presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. A description of the physical basis of the experimental techniques that have been used to provide the primary data may also be appropriate, if it has not been covered in detail elsewhere. The coverage need not be exhaustive in data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the new principles being developed that will allow the reader, who is not a specialist in the area covered, to understand the data presented. Discussion of possible future research directions in the area is welcomed.

This volume contains a representative selection of the papers presented at the 10th European Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry and Physics, held at Beit al Hikma, Carthage, Tunisia, from September 1st to 7th, 2005. The workshop continued the series which initiated at San Miniato, near Pisa, Italy, in 1996. The workshop's aim was to bring together chemists and physicists with a common interest in the quantum-mechanical many-body problem, in order to foster conceptual and methodological development for the understanding of the structure, dynamics and properties of atoms, molecules, and the solid state. This underpins many of the new emerging fields of science and technology: molecular engines, nanomaterials, responsive structural materials, synthetic bio-materials, drugs, and so on.

The principal objective of this book is to stimulate interest in research that will extend available theory towards a greater understanding of the steps involved in solid-state decompositions and the properties of solids that control reactivities. Much of the activity in this field has been directed towards increasing the range of reactants for which decomposition kinetic data is available, rather than extending insights into the fundamental chemistry of the reactions being studied. The first part of the book (Chapters 1-6) is concerned with theoretical aspects of the subject. The second part (Chapters 7-17) surveys groups of reactions classified by similarities of chemical composition. The final Chapter (18) reviews the subject by unifying features identified as significant and proposes possible directions for future progress.

Studies of thermal reactions of ionic compounds have contributed considerably to the theory of solid-state chemistry. Furthermore, many of these rate processes have substantial technological importance, for example, in the manufacture of cement, the exploitation of ores and in the stability testing of drugs, explosives and oxidizing agents. Despite the prolonged and continuing research effort concerned with these reactions, there is no recent overall review. This book is intended to contribute towards correcting this omission. The essential unity of the subject is recognized by the systematic treatment of reactions, carefully selected to be instructive and representative of the subject as a whole. The authors have contributed more than 200 original research articles to the literature, many during their 25 years of collaboration.

Features of this book:

Gives a comprehensive in-depth survey of a rarely-reviewed subject.

Reviews methods used in studies of thermal decompositions of solids.

Discusses patterns of subject development perceived from an extensive literature survey.

This book is expected to be of greatest value and interest to scientists concerned with the chemical properties and reactions of solids, including chemists, physicists, pharmacists, material scientists, crystallographers, metallurgists and others. This wide coverage of the literature dealing with thermal reactions of solids will be of value to both academic and industrial researchers by reviewing the current status of the theory of the subject. It could also provide a useful starting point for the exploitation of crystalline materials in practical and industrial applications. The contents will also be relevant to a wide variety of researchers, including, for example, those concerned with the stabilities of polymers and composite materials, the processing of minerals, the shelf-lives of pharmaceuticals, etc.
"

Liquid crystals, polymers and polymer liquid crystals are soft condensed matter systems of major technological and scientific interest. An understanding of the macroscopic properties of these complex systems and of their many and interesting peculiarities at the molecular level can nowadays only be attained using computer simulations and statistical mechanical theories. Both in the Liquid Crystal and Polymer fields a considerable amount of simulation work has been done in the last few years with various classes of models at different special resolutions, ranging from atomistic to molecular and coarse-grained lattice models. Each of the two fields has developed its own set of tools and specialized procedures and the book aims to provide a state of the art review of the computer simulation studies of polymers and liquid crystals. This is of great importance in view of a potential cross-fertilization between these connected areas which is particularly apparent for a number of experimental systems like, e.g. polymer liquid crystals and anisotropic gels where the different fields necessarily merge. An effort has been made to assess the possibilities of a coherent description of the themes that have developed independently, and to compare and extend the theoretical and computational techniques put forward in the different areas.

The calculation of cross sections and rate constants for chemical reactions in the gas phase has long been a major problem in theoretical chemistry. The need for reliable and applicable theories in this field is evident when one considers the significant recent advances that have been made in developing experimental techniques, such as lasers and molecular beams, to probe the microscopic details of chemical reactions. For example, it is now becoming possible to measure cross sections for chemical reactions state selected in the vibrational rotational states of both reactants and products. Furthermore, in areas such as atmospheric, combustion and interstellar chemistry, there is an urgent need for reliable reaction rate constant data over a range of temperatures, and this information is often difficult to obtain in experiments. The classical trajectory method can be applied routinely to simple reactions, but this approach neglects important quantum mechanical effects such as tunnelling and resonances. For all these reasons, the quantum theory of reactive scattering is an area that has received considerable attention recently. This book describes the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held at CECAM, Orsay, France in June, 1985. The Workshop concentrated on a critical examination and discussion of the recent developments in the theory of chemical reaction dynamics, with particular emphasis on quantum theories. Several papers focus on exact theories for reactions."

This book is designed to serve as a textbook for core courses offered to postgraduate students enrolled in chemistry. This book can also be used as a core or supplementary text for nuclear chemistry courses offered to students of chemical engineering. The book covers various topics of nuclear chemistry like Shell model, fission/fusion reaction, natural radioactive equilibrium series, nuclear reactions carried by various types of accelerators. In addition, it describes the law of decay of radioactivity, type of decay, and interaction of radiation with matter. It explains the difference between ionization counter, scintillation counter and solid state detector. This book also consists of end-of-book problems to help readers aid self-learning. The detailed coverage and pedagogical tools make this an ideal textbook for postgraduate students and researchers enrolled in various chemistry and engineering courses. This book will also be beneficial for industry professionals in the allied fields.

The author wrote a monograph 20 years ago on the construction of spin eigen functions; the monograph was published by Plenum. The aim of that mono graph was to present all aspects connected with the construction of spin eigen functions and its relation to the use of many-electron antisymmetric wavefunc tions. The present book is an introduction to these subjects, with an emphasis on the practical side. After the theoretical treatment, there will be many exam ples and exercises which will illustrate the different methods. The theory of the symmetric group and its representations generated by the different spin eigen functions is an other subject, this is closely related to the quantum chemical applications. Finally we will survey the calculation of the matrix elements of the Hamiltonian, using the different constructions of the spin functions. The closing chapter will deal with a new method that gained much importance recently; the spin-coupled valence bond method. Since the publication of Spin Eigenfunctions, nearly 20 years ago there have been many interesting developments in the subject; there are quite a few new algorithms for the construction of spin eigenfunctions. Moreover the use of the spin-coupled valence bond method showed the importance of using different constructions for the spin functions. The subject matter of this book has been presented in a graduate course in the Technion. The author is obliged to the graduate students Averbukh Vitali, Gokhberg Kirill, and Narevicius Edvardas for many helpful comments."

Hyperspherical harmonics are extremely useful in nuclear physics and reactive scattering theory. However, their use has been confined to specialists with very strong backgrounds in mathematics. This book aims to change the theory of hyperspherical harmonics from an esoteric field, mastered by specialists, into an easily-used tool with a place in the working kit of all theoretical physicists, theoretical chemists and mathematicians. The theory presented here is accessible without the knowledge of Lie-groups and representation theory, and can be understood with an ordinary knowledge of calculus. The book is accompanied by programs and exercises designed for teaching and practical use.

This book discusses recent advances in theoretical-computational studies on the biosynthesis of melanin pigment (melanogenesis). These advances are being driven by the development of high-performance computers, new experimental findings, and extensive work on medical applications involving the control of pigmentation and the treatment of challenging dermatological diseases. Understanding the elementary processes involved in chemical reactions at the atomic scale is important in biochemical reaction design for effective control of the pigmentary system. Accordingly, the book focuses on the elementary steps involved in melanogenesis, which crucially affect the composition of the resulting melanin pigment by means of competitive reactions. The book also addresses reactions analogous to melanogenesis, with a focus on o-quinone reactions, which are especially important for understanding melanogenesis-associated cytotoxicity.

This book consists of chapters written by international experts on various aspects of single molecule toroics (SMTs).The chapters cover a broad range of relevant topics and highlight the latest advances performed in the field. An up-to-date overview of the emerging SMT architectures is presented while particular attention is given to not only the magnetism and relaxation effects involved but also to the respective applications in advanced electronics and memory devices. The role that lanthanides play -especially that of dysprosium- is discussed, while a thorough analysis using theoretical/ab initio calculations is provided. Since SMTs have grown out of single molecule magnetism (SMM), it is an expanding and topical subject and the present book will engender excitement and interest amongst chemists, physicists, theoreticians and materials scientists. The volume will be of great interest to researchers and graduates working on this topic and particularly those involved in lanthanide chemistry, magnetism and theory.

This book reviews the most significant advances in concepts, methods, and applications of quantum systems in a broad variety of problems in modern chemistry, physics, and biology. In particular, it discusses atomic, molecular, and solid structure, dynamics and spectroscopy, relativistic and correlation effects in quantum chemistry, topics of computational chemistry, physics and biology, as well as applications of theoretical chemistry and physics in advanced molecular and nano-materials and biochemical systems. The book contains peer-reviewed contributions written by leading experts in the fields and based on the presentations given at the Twenty-Fourth International Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology held in Odessa, Ukraine, in August 2019. This book is aimed at advanced graduate students, academics, and researchers, both in university and corporation laboratories, interested in state-of-the-art and novel trends in quantum chemistry, physics, biology, and their applications.

The quantitative success that quantum chemistry has had since the early-1970s has led to the launch of "Conceptual Trends in Quantum Chemistry", a collection of essays intended to stimulate discussion in this field, of which the first volume was published in 1994, and the second in 1995. This third volume contains 14 papers covering topics such as recent developments in multiple scattering theory and density functional theory for molecules and solids; localized atomic hybrids; quantum electrodynamics and molecular structure; aspects of the chemical bond; Lie symmetries in quantum mechanics; the interplay between quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics simulations; the permutation group in many-electron theory; new developments in many body perturbation theory and coupled cluster theory; a philosopher's perspective of the "problem" of molecular shape; Van Der Waals interactions from density functional theories; different legacies and common aims; potential energy hypersurfaces for hydrogen bonded clusters (HF)N; one-electron pictures of electronic structure; and shape in quantum chemistry. This text should be of interest to researchers and graduate students whose work involves quantum chemistry, quantum mechanics, chemical physics, methodology, and mathematical statistical methods.

Algebraic Theory of Molecules presents a fresh look at the mathematics of wave functions that provide the theoretical underpinnings of molecular spectroscopy. Written by renowned authorities in the field, the book demonstrates the advantages of algebraic theory over the more conventional geometric approach to developing the formal quantum mechanics inherent in molecular spectroscopy. Many examples are provided that compare the algebraic and geometric methods, illustrating the relationship between the algebraic approach and current experiments. The authors develop their presentation from a basic level so as to enable newcomers to enter the field while providing enough details and concrete examples to serve as a reference for the expert. Chemical physicists, physical chemists, and spectroscopists will want to read this exciting new approach to molecular spectroscopy.

Luminescent molecules with high efficiency in aggregate state are promising candidate materials for the development of organic light-emitting diodes, fluorescent sensors, solid-state lasers, and so on. The discovery of aggregation-induced emission (AIE), whereby the aggregation of luminogens plays a positive role, enhancing the light-emission efficiency, has attracted much interest as it offers a new platform for the exploration of practically useful luminescent materials. This Faraday Discussion brings together researchers in the field to discuss the progress made so far, current challenges and potential breakthroughs that may be accomplished in the near future. It focuses on the issues associated with the development of new fluorescent and phosphorescent AIEgens, particularly the advanced functional AIEgens with stimuli-responses, and the exploration of high-tech applications of the AIEgens, especially in the area of biomedical research.

A unique, much-needed introduction to molecular symmetry and group theory Elements of Molecular Symmetry takes the topic of group theory a step further than most books, presenting a quantum chemistry treatment useful for computational, quantum, physical, and inorganic chemists alike. Clearly explaining how general groups and group algebra describe molecules, Yngve Ahrn first develops the theory, then provides coverage not only for point groups, but also permutation groups, space groups, and Lie groups. With over three decades of teaching experience, Dr. Ahrn brings to the discussion unprecedented depth and clarity, incorporating rigorous topics at a level accessible to anyone with basic knowledge of calculus and algebra. This unique and timely book:
* Extends coverage to molecular orbital theory,
* Utilizes powerful examples to illustrate basic concepts
* Contains introductory material on space groups and continuous groups, including point-group character tables
* Provides a solid background for exploring the theoretical literature

A companion volume to "Conceptual Trends in Quantum Chemistry", this work contains eight contributions focusing on important conceptual trends in atomic and molecular theory. The "polarization" between ab initio and semi-empirical methods is thoroughly analyzed in two of the articles, which also provide bridges between such procedures. Hydrogen-transfer theory and electron delocalization are treated in two further papers. Explicitly time-dependent descriptions of intermolecular dynamics, which constitute a characteristic trend in current research, are represented by an article about the quantum dynamics of diatoms in external fields. A view of certain atomic excited states is presented in a paper on collective and independent particle character, and a new theoretical tool is surveyed in an article on dimensional scaling. The final article analyzes density functional theory.

The Science and Business of Drug Discovery is written for those who want to learn about the biopharmaceutical industry and its products whatever their level of technical knowledge. Its aim is to demystify the jargon used in drug development, but in a way that avoids over simplification and the resulting loss of key information. Each of the twenty chapters is illustrated with figures and tables which clarify some of the more technical points being made. Also included is a drug discovery case history which draws the relevant material together into a single chapter. In recognizing that it is difficult to navigate through the many external resources dealing with drug development, the book has been written to guide the reader towards the most appropriate information sources, including those listed in the two appendices. The following topics are covered: Different types of drugs: from small molecules to stem cells Background to chemistry of small and large molecules Historical background to drug discovery, pharmacology and biotechnology The drug discovery pipeline: from target discovery to marketed medicine Commercial aspects of drug discovery Challenges to the biopharmaceutical industry and its responses Material of specific interest to technology transfer executives, recruiters and pharmaceutical translators

This work gives a comprehensive overview on materials, processes and technological challenges for electrochemical storage and conversion of energy. Optimization and development of electrochemical cells requires consideration of the cell as a whole, taking into account the complex interplay of all individual components. Considering the availability of resources, their environmental impact and requirements for recycling, the design of new concepts has to be based on the understanding of relevant processes at an atomic level.

Quantum Systems in Chemistry and Physics contains a refereed selection of the papers presented at the first European Workshop on this subject, held at San Miniato, near Pisa, Italy, in April 1996. The Workshop brought together leading experts in theoretical chemistry and molecular physics with an interest in the quantum mechanical many-body problem. This volume provides an insight into the latest research in this increasingly important field. Throughout the Workshop, the emphasis was on innovative theory and conceptual developments rather than on computational implementation. The various contributions presented reflect this emphasis and embrace topics such as density matrices and density functional theory, relativistic formulations, electron correlation, valence theory, nuclear motion, response theory, condensed matter, and chemical reactions. Audience: The volume will be of interest to those working in the molecular sciences and to theoretical chemists and molecular physicists in particular.

This book describes atomic orbitals at a level suitable for undergraduates in chemistry. The mathematical treatment is brought to life by many illustrations rendered from mathematical functions (no artists' impressions), including three-dimensional plots of angular functions, showing orbital phase, and contour plots of the wavefunctions that result from orbital hybridisation.Orbitals extends the key fundamental quantum properties to many-electron atoms, linear combinations of atomic orbitals, simple molecules, delocalised systems and atomic spectroscopy. By focusing on simple model systems, use of analogies and avoiding group theory the results are obtained from initial postulates without the need for sophisticated mathematics.

This unique volume offers a clear perspective of the relevant methodology relating to the chemical theory of the next generation beyond the Born-Oppenheimer paradigm. It bridges the gap between cutting-edge technology of attosecond laser science and the theory of chemical reactivity. The essence of this book lies in the method of nonadiabatic electron wavepacket dynamic, which will set a new foundation for theoretical chemistry.In light of the great progress of molecular electronic structure theory (quantum chemistry), the authors show a new direction towards nonadiabatic electron dynamics, in which quantum wavepackets have been theoretically and experimentally revealed to bifurcate into pieces due to the strong kinematic interactions between electrons and nuclei.The applications range from nonadiabatic chemical reactions in photochemical dynamics to chemistry in densely quasi-degenerated electronic states that largely fluctuate through their mutual nonadiabatic couplings. The latter is termed as "chemistry without the potential energy surfaces" and thereby virtually no theoretical approach has been made yet.Restarting from such a novel foundation of theoretical chemistry, the authors cast new light even on the traditional chemical notions such as the Pauling resonance theory, proton transfer, singlet biradical reactions, and so on.