Atomic orbitals mathematics

Combination of n atomic orbitals (mathematically adding and subtracting wave functions) forms a set of n molecular orbitals (new wave functions) that is, the number of molecular orbitals formed is equal to the number of atomic orbitals combined. When only MO theory is used to model bonding in organic compounds the molecular orbitals are spread over all atoms in a molecule or ion whose atomic orbitals are properly aligned to overlap with one another. 

Atomic orbitals (mathematically described by wave functions) are defined by four quantum numbers, n, /, mi, and i. Electrons may have only certain energies determined by these quantum numbers. Orbitals have different, well-defined shapes s orbitals are spherically symmetric, orbitals are roughly dumbbell shaped, d and/"orbitals are more comphcated. An orbital may contain a maximum of two electrons. 

To this pom t, th e basic approxmi alien is th at th e total wave I lnic-tion IS a single Slater determinant and the resultant expression of the molecular orbitals is a linear combination of atomic orbital basis functions (MO-LCAO). In other words, an ah miiio calculation can be initiated once a basis for the LCAO is chosen. Mathematically, any set of functions can be a basis for an ah mitio calculation. However, there are two main things to be considered m the choice of the basis. First one desires to use the most efficient and accurate functions possible, so that the expansion (equation (49) on page 222). will require the few esl possible term s for an accurate representation of a molecular orbital. The second one is the speed of tW O-electron integral calculation. 

The second approximation in HF calculations is due to the fact that the wave function must be described by some mathematical function, which is known exactly for only a few one-electron systems. The functions used most often are linear combinations of Gaussian-type orbitals exp(—nr ), abbreviated GTO. The wave function is formed from linear combinations of atomic orbitals or, stated more correctly, from linear combinations of basis functions. Because of this approximation, most HF calculations give a computed energy greater than the Hartree-Fock limit. The exact set of basis functions used is often specified by an abbreviation, such as STO—3G or 6—311++g. Basis sets are discussed further in Chapters 10 and 28. 

STO (Slater type orbital) mathematical function for describing the wave function of an electron in an atom, which is rigorously correct for atoms with one electron... 

To compute molecular orbitals, you must give them mathematical form. The usual approach is to expand them as a linear combination of known functions, such as the atomic orbitals of the constituent atoms of the molecular system. If the atomic orbitals, (Is, 2s, 2px, 2py, 2pz, etc.) are denoted as then this equation describes the molecular orbitals as linear combination of atomic orbitals (MO-LCAO) ... 

Mathematically, the molecular orbitals are treated as linear combinations of atomic orbitals, so that the wave function, is expressed as a sum of individual atomic orbitals multiplied by appropriate weighting factors (atomic coefficients) ... 

A minimum basis set for molecules containing C, H, O, and N would consist of 2s, 2p, 2py, and 2p oibitals for each C, N, and O and a 1 j orbital for each hydrogen. The basis sets are mathematical expressions describing the properties of the atomic orbitals. 

In die HMO approximation, the n-electron wave function is expressed as a linear combination of the atomic orbitals (for the case in which the plane of the molecule coincides with the x-y plane). Minimizing the total rt-electron energy with respect to the coefficients leads to a series of equations from which the atomic coefficients can be extracted. Although the mathematical operations involved in solving the equation are not... 

The next approximation involves expressing the jiiolecular orhiiah as linear combinations of a pre-defined set of one-electron functions kjiown as basis functions. These basis functions are usually centered on the atomic nuclei and so bear some resemblance to atomic orbitals. However, the actual mathematical treatment is more general than this, and any set of appropriately defined functions may be u.sed. 

An answer was provided in 1931 by Linus Pauling, who showed how an s orbital and three p orbitals on an atom can combine mathematically, or hybridize, to form four equivalent atomic orbitals with tetrahedral orientation. Shown in Figure 1.10, these tetrahedrally oriented orbitals are called sp3 hybrids. Note that the superscript 3 in the name sp3 tells how many of each type of atomic orbital combine to form the hybrid, not how many electrons occupy it. 

Molecular orbital (MO) theory describes covalent bond formation as arising from a mathematical combination of atomic orbitals (wave functions) on different atoms to form molecular orbitals, so called because they belong to the entire molecule rather than to an individual atom. Just as an atomic orbital, whether un hybridized or hybridized, describes a region of space around an atom where an electron is likely to be found, so a molecular orbital describes a region of space in a molecule where electrons are most likely to be found. 

A covalent bond is formed when an electron pair is shared between atoms. According to valence bond theory, electron sharing occurs by overlap of two atomic orbitals. According to molecular orbital (MO) theory, bonds result from the mathematical combination of atomic orbitals to give molecular orbitals, which belong to the entire molecule. Bonds that have a circular cross-section and are formed by head-on interaction are called sigma (cr) bonds bonds formed by sideways interaction ot p orbitals are called pi (77-) bonds. 

Molecular orbital (MO) theory (Section 1.11) A description of covalent bond formation as resulting from a mathematical combination of atomic orbitals (wave functions) to form molecular orbitals. 

The subscript x, y, or z on a 2p orbital indicates that the angular part of the orbital has its maximum value along that axis. Graphs of the square of the angular part of these three functions are presented in Figure 6.2. The mathematical expressions for the real 2p and 3p atomic orbitals are given in Table 6.2. 

In Eq. (2.30), F is the Fock operator and Hcore is the Hamiltonian describing the motion of an electron in the field of the spatially fixed atomic nuclei. The operators and K. are operators that introduce the effects of electrons in the other occupied MOs. Hence, when i = j, J( (= K.) is the potential from the other electron that occupies the same MO, i ff IC is termed the exchange potential and does not have a simple functional form as it describes the effect of wavefunction asymmetry on the correlation of electrons with identical spin. Although simple in form, Eq. (2.29) (which is obtained after relatively complex mathematical analysis) represents a system of differential equations that are impractical to solve for systems of any interest to biochemists. Furthermore, the orbital solutions do not allow a simple association of molecular properties with individual atoms, which is the model most useful to experimental chemists and biochemists. A series of soluble linear equations, however, can be derived by assuming that the MOs can be expressed as a linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO)44 ... 

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