The ideas of probability are all around us. Lotteries, casino gambling, the al most non-stop polling which seems to mold public policy more and more these are a few of the areas where principles of probability impinge in a direct way on the lives and fortunes of the general public. At a more re moved level there is modern science which uses probability and its offshoots like statistics and the theory of random processes to build mathematical descriptions of the real world. In fact, twentieth-century physics, in embrac ing quantum mechanics, has a world view that is at its core probabilistic in nature, contrary to the deterministic one of classical physics. In addition to all this muscular evidence of the importance of probability ideas it should also be said that probability can be lots of fun. It is a subject where you can start thinking about amusing, interesting, and often difficult problems with very little mathematical background. In this book, I wanted to introduce a reader with at least a fairly decent mathematical background in elementary algebra to this world of probabil ity, to the way of thinking typical of probability, and the kinds of problems to which probability can be applied. I have used examples from a wide variety of fields to motivate the discussion of concepts."

From the beginnings of modern chemistry, molecular structure has been a lively area of research and speculation. For more than half a century spectroscopy and other methods have been available to characterize the structures and shapes of molecules, particularly those that are rigid. However, most molecules are at least to some degree non-rigid and this non-rigidity plays an important role in such diverse areas as biological activity, energy transfer, and chemical reactivity. In addition, the large-amplitude vibrations present in non-rigid molecules give rise to unusual low-energy vibrational level patterns which have a dramatic effect on the thermodynamic properties of these systems. Only in recent years has a coherent picture of the energetics and dynamics of the conformational changes inherent in non-rigid (and semi-rigid) molecules begun to emerge. Advances have been made in a number of different experimental areas: vibrational (infrared and Raman) spectroscopy, rotational (microwave) spectroscopy, electron diffraction, and, most recently, laser techniques probing both the ground and excited electronic states. Theoretically, the proliferation of powerful computers coupled with scientific insight has allowed both empirical and ab initio methods to increase our understanding of the forces responsible for the structures and energies of non-rigid systems. The development of theory (group theoretical methods and potential energy surfaces) to understand the unique characteristics of the spectra of these floppy molecules has also been necessary to reach our present level of understanding. The thirty chapters in this volume contributed by the key speakers at the Workshop are divided over the various areas. Both vibrational and rotational spectroscopy have been effective at determining the potential energy surfaces for non-rigid molecules, often in a complementary manner. Recent laser fluorescence work has extended these types of studies to electronic excited states. Electronic diffraction methods provide radial distribution functions from which both molecular structures and compositions of conformational mixtures can be found. Ab initio calculations have progressed substantially over the past few years, and, when carried out at a sufficiently high level, can accurately reproduce (or predict ahead of time) experimental findings. Much of the controversy of the ARW related to the question of when an ab initio is reliable. Since the computer programs are readily available, many poor calculations have been carried out. However, excellent results can be obtained from computations when properly done. A similar situation exists for experimental analyses. The complexities of non-rigid molecules are many, but major strides have been taken to understand their structures and conformational processes.

"Kinetics and Dynamics" on molecular modeling of dynamic processes opens with an introductory overview before discussing approaches to reactivity of small systems in the gas phase. Then it examines studies of systems of increasing complexity up to the dynamics of DNA. This title has interdisciplinary character presenting wherever possible an interplay between the theory and the experiment. It provides basic information as well as the details of theory and examples of its application to experimentalists and theoreticians interested in modeling of dynamic processes in chemical and biochemical systems. All contributing authors are renowned experts in their fields and topics covered in this volume represent the forefront of today's science.

Both molecular spectroscopy and computational chemistry have witnessed rapid significant progresses in recent years. On the one hand, it is nowadays possible to compute, to quite a reasonable degree of accuracy, almost all fundamental spectroscopic properties for small molecular systems. The theoretical approach is now properly considered to be of fundamental importance in attaining a high degree of understanding of spectroscopic information. Moreover, it may be also a great help in designing and planning experiments. On the other hand, new and very powerful experimental techniques have been developed. This book combines an advanced teaching standpoint with an emphasis on the interplay between theoretical and experimental molecular spectroscopy. It covers a wide range of topics (such as molecular dynamics and reactivity, conformational analysis, hydrogen bonding and solvent effects, spectroscopy of excited states, complex spectra interpretation and simulation, software development and biochemical applications of molecular spectroscopy) and considers a large variety of molecular spectroscopic techniques, either from an experimental or from a theoretical perspective. (short text) This book combines an advanced teaching standpoint with an emphasis on the interplay between theoretical and experimental molecular spectroscopy. It covers a wide range of topics (such as molecular dynamics and reactivity, conformational analysis, hydrogen bonding and solvent effects, spectroscopy of excited states, complex spectra interpretation and simulation, software development and biochemical applications of molecular spectroscopy) and considers a large variety of molecular spectroscopic techniques either from an experimental or from a theoretical perspective.

When this book was first published in 1984, the discovery of laser-induced mutliphoton chemical reactions had led to a resurgence of interest in the theory of unimolecular reactions. Attempts to explain these phenomena had been built on a very imperfectly understood theory of thermal unimolecular reactions. In this book, Professor Pritchard presents a treatment that dissects the unimolecular reaction process into a sequence of distinct phases, so that the assumptions of the theory can be clearly seen, and confusion over the theory avoided. As such it provides a self-consistent foundation upon which to begin to treat these phenomena. Postgraduate students and research workers in physical chemistry will find this an invaluable textbook on a topic that has suddenly become of primary importance.

This book introduces the concept of crystallographic non- rigidity and asymmetry of the transition elements as central atoms organometallic compounds. This intrinsic behavior of central atoms in condensed matter is quantified by applying statistical approach. Averaging of extrinsic factors in crystal structures is tested by using variance analysis. Introductionof the above mentioned concept and applications of variance analysis as an approximation for considering factors influencing properties of central atomin the crystal is original and new.

The Sixth International Conference on Miniaturized Chemical and Biochemical Analysis Systems, known as IlTAS2002, will be fully dedicated to the latest scientific and technological developments in the field of miniaturized devices and systems for realizing not only chemical and biochemical analysis but also synthesis. The first IlTAS meeting was held in Enschede in 1994 with approximately 160 participants, bringing together the scientists with background in analytical and biochemistry with those with Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) in one workshop. We are grateful to Piet Bergveld and Albert van den Berg of MESA Research Institute of the University of Twente for their great efforts to arrange this exciting first meeting. The policy of the meeting was succeeded by late Prof. Dr. Michael Widmer in the second meeting, IlTAS'96 held in Basel with 275 participants. The first two meetings were held as informal workshops. From the third workshop, IlTAS'98 (420 participants) held in Banff, the workshop had become a worldwide conference. Participants continued to increase in IlTAS2000 (about 500 participants) held in Enschede and IlTAS2001 (about 700 participants) held in Monterey. The number of submitted papers also dramatically increased in this period from 130 in 1998, 230 in 2000 to nearly 400 in 2001. From 2001, IlTAS became an annual symposium. The steering committee meeting held in Monterey, confirmed the policy of former IlTAS that quality rather than quantity would be the key-point and that the parallel-session format throughout the 3.

The state-of-the-art in contemporary theoretical chemistry is presented in this 4-volume set with numerous contributions from the most highly regarded experts in their field. It provides a concise introduction and critical evaluation of theoretical approaches in relation to experimental evidence.

"A Structural and Vibrational Study of the Chromyl Chlorosulfate, Fluorosulfate and Nitrate Compounds" presents important studies related to the structural and vibrational properties on the chromyl compounds based on Ab-initio calculations. The synthesis and the study of such properties are of chemical importance because the stereo-chemistries and reactivities of these compounds are strongly dependent on the coordination modes that adopt the different ligands linked to the chromyl group.
In this book, the geometries of all stable structures in gas phase for chromyl chlorosulfate, fluorosulfate, and nitrate are optimized by using Density functional Theory (DFT). Then, the complete assignments of all observed bands in the infrared and Raman spectra are performed combining DFT calculations with Pulays Scaled Quantum Mechanics Force Field (SQMFF) methodology and taking into account the type of coordination adopted by the chlorosulfate, fluorosulfate and nitrate ligands as monodentate and bidentate. Moreover, the force constants for each compound at the same levels of theory are calculated. As a result, the bond orders calculated and the topological properties of electronic charge density reveal the characteristics and nature of the different bonds in each structure."

Criteria of orbital symmetry conservation had a profound influence on mechanistic thinking in organic chemistry and are still commonly applied today. The author presents a coherent set of operational rules for the analysis of scope and reliability. It is written from the viewpoint of Orbital Correspondence Analysis in Maximum Symmetry (OCAMS). Its advantage lies in its provision of a coherent overview of the relation between symmetry and mechanism. For reasons of consistency, the book remains within the framework of molecular orbital theory.

The theoretical chemist is accustomed to judging the success of a theoretical prediction according to how well it agrees with an experimental measurement. Since the object of theory is the prediction of the results of experiment, that would appear to be an entirely satisfactory state ofaffairs. However, ifit is true that "the underlying physicallaws ...for the whole ofchemistryare ...completely known" (1), thenit shouldbepossible,atleastinprinciple, topredict theresults of experiment moreaccurately than they canbe measured. Ifthe theoreticalchemist could obtain exact solutions ofthe Schrodinger equation for many-body systems, then the experimental chemist would soon become accustomed to judging the success ofan experimental measurement by how well it agrees with a theoretical prediction. In fact, it is now possible to obtainexact solutions ofthe Schrodinger equation for systems ofa few electrons(2-8). These systems include the molecular ion Ht, the molecule H , the reaction intermediate H-H-H, the unstable pair H-He, the 2 stable dimer He2' and the trimer He3. The quantum Monte Carlo method used in solving the time-independent Schrodinger equation for these systems is exact in that it requires no physical or mathematical assumptions beyond those of the Schrodinger equation. As in most Monte Carlo methods there is a statistical or sampling error which is readily estimated.

A unique selection of papers on the most recent progress in the modelling of biological molecules containing metal ions. New approaches and techniques in this field are allowing researchers to discuss structures, electronic properties and reaction mechanisms of metalloproteins on the basis of computational studies. The book discusses different approaches in the development of new force fields and their application to the computation of the structures, electronic properties and dynamics of bioinorganic compounds as well as quantum mechanical and integrated QM/MM methods for understanding the function of metalloenzymes and the calculation of electrostatic interactions.

I feel very honored that I have been asked to write a Foreword to this book. The subject of the book - "Coupled cluster theory" - has been around for about half a century. The basic theory and explicit equations for closed-shell ground states were formulated before 1970. At the beginning of the seventies the rst ab initio calcu- tion were carried out. At that time speed and memory of computers were very limited compared to today's standards. Moreover, the size of one-electron bases employed was small, so that it was only possible to achieve an orientation in methodical aspects rather than to generate new signi cant results. Extensive use of the coupled-cluster method started at the beginning of the eighties. With the help of more powerful computers the results of coupled-cluster approaches started to yield more and more interesting results of relevance to the interpretation of experimental data. New ideas in methodology kept appearing and computer codes became more and more ef cient. This exciting situation continues to this very day. Remarkably enough, even the - quired equations can now be generated by a computer with the help of symbolic languages. The size of this monograph and the rich variety of articles it contains attests to the usefulness and viability of the couple-cluster formalism for the h- dling of many-electron correlation effects. This represents a vivid testimony of a tremendous work that has been accomplished in coupled-cluster methodology and its exploitation.

During the last twenty years, the multiplicity of potential carbon structures has consistently posed a formidable challenge to theoretical and computational physicists. Several different methods are currently being used to study the structure and the properties of such systems. These methods include simulations based on empirical potentials, tight-binding calculations and density functional theory (DFT). A combination of these methods is needed to make significant progress in the carbon field.

This volume provides the reader with a survey of state-of-the-art theoretical and computational contributions featuring novel carbon systems (excluding nanotubes). The chapters are authored by leading researchers who are all actively involved with different aspects of carbon structure and property elucidation. Consequently, a variety of methods are presented to the reader. The editors have successfully compiled an informative book that:

Showcases the latest results in carbon materials
Demonstrates how different theoretical methods are combined
Explains how new carbon structures are predicted

"Computer-Based Modeling of Novel Carbon Systems and Their Properties" is aimed at advanced undergraduates, graduates, and researchers with an interest in computational nanomaterials."

The contributions to this book cover a wide range of applications of Soft Computing to the chemical domain. The early roots of Soft Computing can be traced back to Lotfi Zadeh's work on soft data analysis [1] published in 1981. 'Soft Computing' itself became fully established about 10 years later, when the Berkeley Initiative in Soft Computing (SISC), an industrial liaison program, was put in place at the University of California - Berkeley. Soft Computing applications are characterized by their ability to: * approximate many different kinds of real-world systems; * tolerate imprecision, partial truth, and uncertainty; and * learn from their environment. Such characteristics commonly lead to a better ability to match reality than other approaches can provide, generating solutions of low cost, high robustness, and tractability. Zadeh has argued that soft computing provides a solid foundation for the conception, design, and application of intelligent systems employing its methodologies symbiotically rather than in isolation. There exists an implicit commitment to take advantage of the fusion of the various methodologies, since such a fusion can lead to combinations that may provide performance well beyond that offered by any single technique.

"Relativistic Methods for Chemists," written by a highly qualified team of authors, is targeted at both experimentalists and theoreticians interested in the area of relativistic effects in atomic and molecular systems and processes and in their consequences for the interpretation of the heavy element's chemistry.

The theoretical part of the book focuses on the relativistic methods for molecular calculations discussing relativistic two-component theory, density functional theory, pseudopotentials and correlations. The experimentally oriented chapters describe the use of relativistic methods in different applications focusing on the design of new materials based on heavy element compounds, the role of the spin-orbit coupling in photochemistry and photobiology, and chirality and its relations to relativistic description of matter and radiation.

This book is written at an intermediate level in order to appeal to a broader audience than just experts working in the field of relativistic theory.

Nonlinear dynamics is now recognized as playing a crucial role in a wide variety of disciplines. But what is only just beginning is the important process of cross fertilization and transfer of knowledge and expertise from one area to another. This book is intended to promote this process which will undoubtedly contribute greatly to furthering our understanding of complex systems. Contributions are provided by leading experts from the areas of sociology, cognitive science, chemistry, physiology, ecology, economics, neural networks and physics.

Advances in Quantum Chemistry presents surveys of current topics in this rapidly developing field that has emerged at the cross section of the historically established areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. It features detailed reviews written by leading international researchers. This series provides a one-stop resource for following progress in this interdisciplinary area.
* Publishes articles, invited reviews and proceedings of major international conferences and workshops
* Written by leading international researchers in quantum and theoretical chemistry
* Highlights important interdisciplinary developments

Stochastic Energetics by now commonly designates the emerging field that bridges the gap between stochastic dynamical processes and thermodynamics. Triggered by the vast improvements in spatio-temporal resolution in nanotechnology, stochastic energetics develops a framework for quantifying individual realizations of a stochastic process on the mesoscopic scale of thermal fluctuations. This is needed to answer such novel questions as: Can one cool a drop of water by agitating an immersed nano-particle? How does heat flow if a Brownian particle pulls a polymer chain? Can one measure the free-energy of a system through a single realization of the associated stochastic process? This book will take the reader gradually from the basics to the applications: Part I provides the necessary background from stochastic dynamics (Langevin, master equation), Part II introduces how stochastic energetics describes such basic notions as heat and work on the mesoscopic scale, Part III details several applications, such as control and detection processes, as well as free-energy transducers. It aims in particular at researchers and graduate students working in the fields of nanoscience and technology.

Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations still represent a quite new area of research, with a rapidly growing number of publications. Broadly speaking, kMC can be applied to any system describable as a set of minima of a potential-energy surface, the evolution of which will then be regarded as hops from one minimum to a neighboring one. The hops in kMC are modeled as stochastic processes and the algorithms use random numbers to determine at which times the hops occur and to which neighboring minimum they go. Sometimes this approach is also called dynamic MC or Stochastic Simulation Algorithm, in particular when it is applied to solving macroscopic rate equations. This book has two objectives. First, it is a primer on the kMC method (predominantly using the lattice-gas model) and thus much of the book will also be useful for applications other than to surface reactions. Second, it is intended to teach the reader what can be learned from kMC simulations of surface reaction kinetics. With these goals in mind, the present text is conceived as a self-contained introduction for students and non-specialist researchers alike who are interested in entering the field and learning about the topic from scratch.

In the last hundred years benzenoid hydrocarbons have constantly attracted the attention of both experimental and theoretical chemists. In spite of the fact that some of the basic concepts of the theory of benzenoid hydrocarbons have their origins in the 19th and early 20th century, research in this area is still in vigorous expansion. The present book provides an outline of the most important current theoretical approaches to benzenoids. Emphasis is laid on the recent developments of these theories, which can certainly be characterized as a significant advance. Em phasis is also laid on practical applications rather than on "pure" theory. The book assumes only some elementary knowledge of organic and physical chemistry and requires no special mathematical training. Therefore we hope that undergraduate students of chemistry will be able to follow the text without any difficulty. Since organic and physical chemists are nowadays not properly acquaint ed lVith the modern theory of benzenoid molecules, we hope that they will find this book both useful and informative. Our book is also aimed at theoretical chemists, especially those concerned with the "topological" features of organic molecules. The authors are indebted to Dr. WERNER SCHMIDT (Ahrensburg, FRG) for valuable discussions. One of the authors (1. G.) thanks the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research for financial support during 1988, which enabled him to stay at the University of Trondheim and write the present book. Trondheim, July 1989 Ivan Gutman Sven J. Cyvin Contents Chapter 1 Benzenoid Hydrocarbons ."

There are both a remote and a proximate history in the development of this book. We would like to acknowledge first the perceptiveness of the technical administrators at RCA Laboratories, Inc. during the 1970s, and in particular Dr. P. N. Yocom. Buoyed up by the financial importance of yttrium oxysulfide: europium as the red phosphor of color television tubes, they allowed us almost a decade of close cooperation aimed at understanding the performance of this phosphor. It is significant that we shared an approach to research in an industrial laboratory which allowed us to avoid the lure of "first-principles" approaches (which would have been severely premature) and freed us to formulate and to study the important issues directly. We searched for a semiquantitative understanding of the properties observed in luminescence, i. e., where energy absorption occurs, where emission occurs, and with what efficiency this conversion process takes place. We were aware that the nonradi ative transition rates found in practice vary enormously with temperature and, for a given activator, with small changes in its environment. We traced the source of this enormous variation to the magnitude of the vibrational overlap integrals, which have strong dependences on the rearrangements occurring during optical transitions and on the vibrational number of the initial electronic state. We were willing to excise from the problem the electronic aspects - the electronic wavefunctions' and their transition integrals -by treating them as parameters to be obtained from the experimental data."

The major reason forpresentingabiblio ultraviolet light, or which make only a casual graphy on fluorescence and phosphorescence reference to the fluorescence technique were can be summed up in one statement: A recent usually rejected. However, occasionally survey showed that twenty-two percent of all papers of this nature were included because chemical and clinical research was uninten fluorescence methods seem to have unusual tionally duplicated. A comprehensive source potential for the problems discussed. Again, if pertinent papers were missed the authors book of fluorescence and phosphorescence would be grateful to have these omissions techniques is therefore needed not only to suggest ideas for future research, but to help called to their attention. The abbreviations of journal names em decrease needless duplication and expense, ployed in this Guide are those used by and thus to promote the development of both disciplines. Chemical Abstracts. Each paper has been The authors hope that researchers new given an alpha-numericalidentification. Sec to fluorescence techniques will appreciate tion A contains papers published in theyears the convenience of this Guide for obtaining 1950-1953, section B the years 1954-1956, data which otherwise could be found only by section C the years 1957-1959, and section reviewing dozens of papers, many difficult to D the years 1960-1964. Section E contains find, and that old hands will find ita valuable papers missed in the original compilation.

New textbooks at all levels of chemistry appear with great regularity. Some fields like basic biochemistry, organic reaction mechanisms, and chemical thermody namics are well represented by many excellent texts, and new or revised editions are published sufficiently often to keep up with progress in research. However, some areas of chemistry, especially many of those taught at the graduate level, suffer from a real lack of up-to-date textbooks. The most serious needs occur in fields that are rapidly changing. Textbooks in these subjects usually have to be written by scientists actually involved in the research which is advancing the field. It is not often easy to persuade such individuals to set time aside to help spread the knowledge they have accumulated. Our goal, in this series, is to pinpoint areas of chemistry where recent progress has outpaced what is covered in any available textbooks, and then seek out and persuade experts in these fields to produce relatively concise but instructive introductions to their fields. These should serve the needs of one semester or one quarter graduate courses in chemistry and biochemistry. In some cases, the availability of texts in active research areas should help stimulate the creation of new courses. New York, New York CHARLES R. CANTOR Preface This book is not a traditional quantum chemistry textbook. Instead, it represents a concept that has evolved from teaching graduate courses in quantum chemistry over a number of years, and encountering students with diverse backgrounds."

The role of quantum coherence in promoting the e ciency of the initial stages of photosynthesis is an open and intriguing question. Lee, Cheng, and Fleming, Science 316, 1462 (2007) The understanding and design of functional biomaterials is one of today's grand challenge areas that has sparked an intense exchange between biology, materials sciences, electronics, and various other disciplines. Many new - velopments are underway in organic photovoltaics, molecular electronics, and biomimetic research involving, e. g. , arti cal light-harvesting systems inspired by photosynthesis, along with a host of other concepts and device applications. In fact, materials scientists may well be advised to take advantage of Nature's 3. 8 billion year head-start in designing new materials for light-harvesting and electro-optical applications. Since many of these developments reach into the molecular domain, the - derstanding of nano-structured functional materials equally necessitates f- damental aspects of molecular physics, chemistry, and biology. The elementary energy and charge transfer processes bear much similarity to the molecular phenomena that have been revealed in unprecedented detail by ultrafast op- cal spectroscopies. Indeed, these spectroscopies, which were initially developed and applied for the study of small molecular species, have already evolved into an invaluable tool to monitor ultrafast dynamics in complex biological and materials systems. The molecular-level phenomena in question are often of intrinsically quantum mechanical character, and involve tunneling, non-Born- Oppenheimer e ects, and quantum-mechanical phase coherence.