• Presents a conceptually challenging subject with the clarity and lucidity for which Peter Atkins is renowned
• Carefully structured explanations and rich pedagogy result in an authoritative and rigorous text which delves deep into the subject without compromising the ease of understanding
• Many illuminating figures, and attractive two colour text design, perfectly complement the articulate prose, and place emphasis on the visualisation of often abstract material
• Includes many worked examples and end of chapter exercises to enhance the student's learning experience
• Includes coverage of the electric and magnetic properties of molecules, which is rarely included in other texts at this level
• Online Resource Centre, featuring: - Illustrations available to download - Solutions manual available to download [instructors only]

New to this edition

• Enhanced coverage of computational techniques in quantum chemistry, to reflect advances in this field since the last edition
• Expanded coverage of density functional theory, DFT
• Enhanced maths support:
• New 'Maths Commentaries' augment, and give additional explanations of, the maths presented in the text
• New 'Proofs' - give a proof of a theorem or mathematical equation which has been presented
• New 'Illustrations' - to show an example of the point being made, or to illustrate that the point is, in fact, valid
• More explanatory material - more detailed explanations have been provided in early chapters to support students as they begin courses in this subject area
• More worked examples - to guide students through the concepts being introduced
• New MQMWeb feature - where mathematical functions presented in the book are supported by online material, which allows students to explore the functions further
• Enhanced two colour text design to enliven the content
• Fully revised artwork - every figure has been redrawn for the new edition

Readership: Advanced undergraduate students following a degree programme in chemistry, physics, or chemical physics, and graduate students specialising in quantum mechanics, theoretical chemistry, and quantum chemistry/physics.

Peter W. Atkins, Professor of Chemistry, and Fellow of Lincoln College, University of Oxford, and Ronald S. Friedman, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Indiana University Purdue University, Fort Wayne, USA

Review(s) from previous edition

"'Undoubtedly amongst the best textbooks of quantum mechanics at this level' - Endeavour

"'a remarkable tour de force'" - Journal of Chemical Education

"'beautifully produced, clearly and attractively written, and contains a wealth of worked examples and problems for classroom use'" - Times Higher Education Supplement

"'This is a precious classic, carefully adapted to the needs of modern readers.'" - Paul Popelier, Chemistry and Industry, July 2005

INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION
1. THE FOUNDATIONS OF QUANTUM MECHANICS
Operators in quantum mechanics
The postulates of quantum mechanics
The specification of evolution of states
Matrices in quantum mechanics
The plausibility of the schrodinger equation
Exercises
2. LINEAR MOTION AND THE HARMONIC OSCILLATOR
The characteristics of acceptable wave functions
Some general remarks on the schrodinger equation
Translational motion
Penetration into and through barriers
Place in a box
The harmonic oscillator
Translation revisted: the scattering matrix
3. ROTATIONAL MOTION AND THE HYDROGEN ATOM
Particle on a ring
Particle on a sphere
Particle in a coulombic field
4. ANGULAR MOMENTUM
The angular momentum operators
The definition of the states
The angular momenta of composite systems
Problems
5. GROUP THEORY
The Symmetries of objects
The calculus of symmetry
Reduced representations
The symmetry properties of functions
The full rotation group
Applications
6. TECHNIQUES OF APPROXIMATION
Time-independent perturbation theory
Variation theory
The Hellmann-Feynman theorem
Time-dependent perturbation theory
7. ATOMIC SPECTRA AND ATOMIC STRUCTURE
The spectrum of atomic hydrogen
The structure of helium
Many-electron atoms
Atoms in external fields
8. AN INTRODUCTION TO MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
The born-oppenheimer approximation
Molecular orbital theory
Molecular orbital theory of polyatomic molecules
The band theory of solids
9. THE CALCULATIONS OF ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
The Hartree-Fock Self-consistent field method
Electron correlation
Density Functional Theory
Gradient Methods and Molecular Properties
Semiempirical methods
Molecular mechanics
Software packages for electronic structure calculations
Problems
10 MOLECULAR ROTATIONS AND VIBRATIONS
Spectroscopic transitions
Molecular rotation
The vibrations of diatomic molecules
The vibrations of polyatomic molecules
Appendix: Centrifugal distortion
11. MOLECULAR ELECTRONIC TRANSITIONS
The states of diatomic molecules
Vibronic transitions
The electronic spectra of polyatomic molecules
The fates of excited species
12. THE ELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF MOLECULES
The response to electric fields
Bulk electrical properties
Optical activity
13.THE MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF MOLECULES
The descriptions of magnetic fields
Magnetic Perturbations
Magnetic Resonance Parameters
14. SCATTERING THEORY
The formulation of scattering events
Partical-wave stationary scattering states
Multichannel scattering