Characteristics of Information at the Molecular Level

Chapter 3 demonstrated that thermodynamic systems afford substantive information in the statistical sense when they are very small in size. This is echoed by molecules. Substantive information manifests at the Angstrom level because a random process—thermal motion plus collisions—is always in place for message transmission and registration. Chapter 4 discussed how information is realized when a structured 

FIGURE 6.8 ABA dispersion energies allied with message tapes. Quantities are based on the message tapes and standard tables of dissociation energies. 

The second characteristic concerns standard tables. These provide indispensable data for the chemist regarding molar entropies, enthalpies, free energies, and ABA energies. Concerning information, the tables can be augmented by applying the methods of the previous section. Table 6.1 lists familiar 

The third characteristic concerns the bits per message unit encountered—it is typically low for an organic molecule. The largest in Table 6.1 are allied with 2-chlorocyclopentanone and 1,2-dibromobutane at 1.16 bits per message unit. The electronic programs of molecules demonstrate an economy of information. 

Chapters 4 and 5 illustrated special transformations marked by zero information in one or more state variables. Regarding the Angstrom level, the fourth characteristic is the specialness of certain compounds. Table 6.1 reports CH4, N2, O2, CO2, and H2O as zero. These charge packages are special because they lack ABA diversity elements packaged in nature as molecules—CI2, F2, Br2, and so forth—are special in this respect. Nonzero information for these systems is 

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