Formamide electron density around

Fig. 2.10 Isometric projection of the electron density around formamide.

R F W Bader s theory of atoms in molecules [Bader 1985] provides an alternative way to partition the electrons between the atoms in a molecule. Bader s theory has been applied to many different problems, but for the purposes of our present discussion we will concentrate on its use in partitioning electron density. The Bader approach is based upon the concept of a gradient vector path, which is a cuiwe around the molecule such that it is always perpendicular to the electron density contours. A set of gradient paths is drawn in Figure 2.14 for formamide. As can be seen, some of the gradient paths terminate at the atomic nuclei. Other gradient paths are attracted to points (called critical points) that are... 

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