Visualizing orbitals and bonds

Samuelson, AG (1999) Visualizing orbitals and bonds. In: Current Science, 77 (9). pp. 1131-1132.

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Abstract

Seeing is believing! There are many things which we are skeptical about, especially when we cannot experience them with our five senses. Orbitals and bonds are definitely in that category. It was not long ago that the advancement in science which allowed one to see and move atoms earned for its discoverers the Nobel prize in Physics. Now another barrier in visualization has been scaled. One that allows us to virtually see orbitals in toms where electrons are housed! Zuo et al.1 at the Arizona State University have studied the electron density distribution in cuprite, Cu2O and unraveled the shape of the dz2 orbital on copper. Excess electron density has been located in the regions away from the O–Cu–O axis, between the tetrahedral arrays of copper ions, making them stick to one another!

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Current Science
Publisher:	Indian Academy of Sciences
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Indian Academy of Sciences.
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Inorganic & Physical Chemistry
Date Deposited:	08 Oct 2004
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:15
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/1646

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