Abstract

Praised for its appealing writing style and clear pedagogy, Lowe's Quantum Chemistry is now available in its Second Edition as a text for senior undergraduate- and graduate-level chemistry students. The book assumes little mathematical or physical sophistication and emphasizes an understanding of the techniques and results of quantum chemistry, thus enabling students to comprehend much of the current chemical literature in which quantum chemical methods or concepts are used as tools. The book begins with a six-chapter introduction of standard one-dimensional systems, the hydrogen atom, many-electron atoms, and principles of quantum mechanics. It then provides thorough treatments of variation and perturbation methods, group theory, ab initio theory, Huckel and extended Huckel methods, qualitative MO theory, and MO theory of periodic systems. Chapters are completed with exercises to facilitate self-study. Solutions to selected exercises are included.

• Assumes little mathematical or physical sophistication
• Emphasizes understanding of the techniques and results of quantum chemistry
• Includes improved coverage of time-dependent phenomena, term symbols, and molecular rotation and vibration
• Provides a new chapter on molecular orbital theory of periodic systems
• Features new exercise sets with solutions
• Includes a helpful new appendix that compiles angular momentum rules from operator algebra

"The author shows a real knack for description and explanations accessible to the mathematically less sophisticated reader. Especially praiseworthy is his consistent attempt .... always to give the wider, deeper, and qualitative significance of various mathematical theorems, results, etc .... The book will be useful to a wide range of students - both undergraduate and graduate - in quantum chemistry, advanced physical chemistry or chemical physics courses."
- JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
"Dr. Lowe has written a nice book which covers old ground in a pedagogically attractive and largely contemporary way. Readers will find it an agreeable, accessible commentary on modern structural quantum chemistry."
- NATURE
"This is a textbook on quantum chemistry for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. The Schrodinger equation and the requisite principles of quantum mechanics are developed along standard lines but the writing is distinguished by clarity and style .... Readers of Lowe's book should acquire an excellent appreciation of the present status of both ab initio and semiempirical quantum chemistry."
- JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
"A particularly good feature of this book is its use of simple model problems such as the particle in a box and the particle on a ring, to help elucidate fundamental quantum mechanical principles and provide insights into the characteristics of more realistic albeit more complex systems."
- AMERICAN SCIENTIST
"The presentation is very clear and should appeal to students whose mathematical background might be a little 'rusty.'"
- JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
"The material is explained without too much formality and without the excessive use of long words which confuse rather than clarify things for the novice. There is a large number of problems, many of them devised by the author, and the figures and graphical material are generally good."
- CHEMISTRY IN BRITAIN