Re: CCL:Orbitals

 Hello Jens and All!
 On Wed, 28 May 2003, Jens Spanget-Larsen wrote:
 > Yes, it is true, there has been some discussion on the status of the
 > MO concept. But to me, there can be no doubt: In principle, orbitals
 > are one-electron wavefunctions, and for a many-electron system, they
 > do by definition NOT correspond to physical reality. However, they
 > are extremely useful models, as we all know. The usefulness of the MO
 > concept in rationalizing a lot of chemistry and spectroscopy
 > sometimes leads people to think of MOs as physical quantities, rather
 > than simplified models. Do you think my point of view is erroneous?
 I'm not taking sides on which view is more correct, but I am inclined to
 like the more physical interpretation of orbitals. Even if they for the
 moment are only mathematical constructs, it doesn't rule out the
 possibility of a physical foundation to be discovered for them. Orbitals
 can also, in a sense, be observed experimentally. See for example:
 [1] Vstrvm et.al., "Orbital rehybridization in n-octane adsorbed on
     Cu(110)", JCP 118 (2003) 3782-378
 [2] Hasselstrvm et.al., J.Phys.Chem B 104 (2000) 11480-11483
 Have a nice day,
     Mikael J.
     http://www.helsinki.fi/~mpjohans/