From chemistry-request _-at-_)server.ccl.net Fri Jul 21 01:43:58 2000 Received: from cal1.mantraonline.com ([202.56.204.1]) by server.ccl.net (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id BAA11290 for ; Fri, 21 Jul 2000 01:43:55 -0400 Received: from cavewoman ([202.56.205.97]) by cal1.mantraonline.com (Netscape Messaging Server 4.1) with SMTP id FY22FU00.M1G; Fri, 21 Jul 2000 11:14:18 -0500 Message-ID: <001201bfe4be$0e7dae20$61cd38ca%!at!%cavewoman> From: "Rajarshi Guha" To: "Henry Pang" Cc: References: <20000721000557.33833.qmail ^%at%^ hotmail.com> Subject: Re: CCL:Seeing molecular orbitals? Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 11:19:30 +0530 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 > other. I think molecules are the beautiful building blocks of our Universe > and created for a purpose. I decline the view molecules are just chance > particles. I suspect from my reading of CCL, my intention may be seen as Hi, your comment suggests that somebody / something is making molecules to satisfy some aestheic urge. I fully agree that molecules are beutiful (in fact the shapes of organic molecules is what attracted me to chemistry when I was entering high school) - but I also think that they just happen to be beutiful. When you say that they are chance particles do you mean that they *just exist* ? I don't think so. Most things in the universe have a function to perform and they are made such that they perform it well - evolution. And so it also applies to molecules. In the case of molecules, performance for a function is not the only criterion - a more important (I think *most*) is geometry constraints - the molecule is what it is becuase of the way the bonds have to join! If it happens that this makes the molecule beautiful then be it - in th end you'll have to work the numbers and data that arise >from a molecule. Of course there should be a goal in the measurement and calculation of these data - measurement for measurementas sake is not very useful I think. At the same time somebody has to document the data - it might seem a pointless job, but when the data is put to use, the documenter will be able to sit back with a smile of satisfaction. In the end I think computational chemistry involves both kinds of work - getting, verifying and using data. In the midst of all this good looking molecules ;) makes the work fun! Bye, ================================== Rajarshi Guha Dept Of Chemistry IIT Kharagpur Email : rajarshi $#at#$ presidency.com Web : www.psynet.net/jijog ==================================