Permutational symmetry

Stabilizing resonances also occur in other systems. Some well-known ones are the allyl radical and square cyclobutadiene. It has been shown that in these cases, the ground-state wave function is constructed from the out-of-phase combination of the two components [24,30]. In Section HI, it is shown that this is also a necessary result of Pauli s principle and the permutational symmetry of the polyelectronic wave function When the number of electron pairs exchanged in a two-state system is even, the ground state is the out-of-phase combination [28]. Three electrons may be considered as two electron pairs, one of which is half-populated. When both electron pahs are fully populated, an antiaromatic system arises ("Section HI). 

A symmetry that holds for any system is the permutational symmetry of the polyelectronic wave function. Electrons are fermions and indistinguishable, and therefore the exchange of any two pairs must invert the phase of the wave function. This symmetry holds, of course, not only to pericyclic reactions. 

PERMUTATIONAL SYMMETRY AND THE ROLE OF NUCLEAR SPIN IN THE VIBRATIONAL SPECTRA OF MOLECULES IN DOUBLY DEGENERATE ELECTRONIC STATES ... 

IT. Total Molecular Wave Functdon TIT. Group Theoretical Considerations TV. Permutational Symmetry of Total Wave Function V. Permutational Symmetry of Nuclear Spin Function VT. Permutational Symmetry of Electronic Wave Function VIT. Permutational Symmetry of Rovibronic and Vibronic Wave Functions VIIT. Permutational Symmetry of Rotational Wave Function IX. Permutational Symmetry of Vibrational Wave Function X. Case Studies Lis and Other Systems... 

As pointed out in the previous paragraph, the total wave function of a molecule consists of an electronic and a nuclear parts. The electrons have a different intrinsic nature from nuclei, and hence can be treated separately when one considers the issue of permutational symmetry. First, let us consider the case of electrons. These are fermions with spin and hence the subsystem of electrons obeys the Fermi-Dirac statistics the total electronic wave function... 

VII. PERMUTATIONAL SYMMETRY OF ROVIBRONIC AND VIBRONIC WAVE FUNCTIONS... 

The permutational symmetry of the rotational wave function is determined by the rotational angular momentum J, which is the resultant of the electronic spin S, elecbonic orbital L, and nuclear orbital N angular momenta. We will now examine the permutational symmetry of the rotational wave functions. Two important remarks should first be made. The first refers to the 7 = 0 rotational... 

As discussed above, the permutational symmetry of the total wave function requires the proper combination of its various contributions. These are summarized in Tables V-Xn for all isotopomers of Lis. Note that the conclusions hold provided that the various wave functions have the appropriate symmetries. If, for some reason, one of the components fails to meet such a requirement, then the symmetry of the total wave function will fail too. For example, even if the vibrational wave functions are properly assigned, the total wave... 

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