Valence bond model/theory

Karmelin SCL, Warshel A (2011) The empirical valence bond model theory and applications. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 1 30... 

Extended Hiickel theory Generalised valence bond model Hartree-Fock... 

We 11 begin our discussion of hydrocarbons by introducing two additional theories of covalent bonding the valence bond model and the molecular orbital model... 

Valence bond and molecular orbital theory both incorporate the wave description of an atom s electrons into this picture of H2 but m somewhat different ways Both assume that electron waves behave like more familiar waves such as sound and light waves One important property of waves is called interference m physics Constructive interference occurs when two waves combine so as to reinforce each other (m phase) destructive interference occurs when they oppose each other (out of phase) (Figure 2 2) Recall from Section 1 1 that electron waves m atoms are characterized by their wave function which is the same as an orbital For an electron m the most stable state of a hydrogen atom for example this state is defined by the Is wave function and is often called the Is orbital The valence bond model bases the connection between two atoms on the overlap between half filled orbifals of fhe fwo afoms The molecular orbital model assembles a sef of molecular orbifals by combining fhe afomic orbifals of all of fhe atoms m fhe molecule... 

In molecular orbital theory, electrons occupy orbitals called molecular orbitals that spread throughout the entire molecule. In other words, whereas in the Lewis and valence-bond models of molecular structure the electrons are localized on atoms or between pairs of atoms, in molecular orbital theory all valence electrons are delocalized over the whole molecule, not confined to individual bonds. 

An alternative stream came from the valence bond (VB) theory. Ovchinnikov judged the ground-state spin for the alternant diradicals by half the difference between the number of starred and unstarred ir-sites, i.e., S = (n -n)l2 [72]. It is the simplest way to predict the spin preference of ground states just on the basis of the molecular graph theory, and in many cases its results are parallel to those obtained from the NBMO analysis and from the sophisticated MO or DFT (density functional theory) calculations. However, this simple VB rule cannot be applied to the non-alternate diradicals. The exact solutions of semi-empirical VB, Hubbard, and PPP models shed light on the nature of spin correlation [37, 73-77]. 

The concept of a bond has precise meaning only in terms of a given model or theory. In the Lewis model a bond is defined as a shared electron pair. In the valence bond model it is defined as a bonding orbital formed by the overlap of two atomic orbitals. In the AIM theory a bonding interaction is one in which the atoms are connected by a bond path and share an interatomic surface. 

Vacancy mechanism, 266 Valence bond (VB) theory, 139-153. 391-394.474 Valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) model. 203-206. 217-218... 

For example, students develop an elementary understanding of bonding from the Lewis model. Then they refine it through the valence bond model and finally molecular orbital theory. Some exercises challenge students to refine models further—and to develop new ones. Students will see how current chemical knowledge is based on the authority—and the fallibility—of modern experimental techniques. 

The valence bond model of covalent bonding is easy to visualize and leads to a satisfactory description for most molecules. It does, however, have some problems. Perhaps the most serious flaw in the valence bond model is that it sometimes leads to an incorrect electronic description. For this reason, another bonding description called molecular orbital (MO) theory is often used. The molecular orbital model is more complex than the valence bond model, particularly for larger molecules, but sometimes gives a more satisfactory accounting of chemical and physical properties. 

Valence bond (VB) theories or empirical valence bond (EVB) methods have been developed in order to solve this problem with bond potential functions that (i) allow the change of the valence bond network over time and (ii) are simple enough to be used efficiently in an otherwise classical MD simulation code. In an EVB scheme, the chemical bond in a dissociating molecule is described as the superposition of two states a less-polar bonded state and an ionic dissociated state. One of the descriptions is given by Walbran and Kornyshev in modeling of the water dissociation process.4,5 As... 

Because the n-networks of benzenoid hydrocarbons are the classical prototypical example of delocalized bonding, they provide a crucial test for chemical-bonding theories. Here there is revealed a systematic organization for valence-bond views to describe such n-bonding. With an initiation near the ab initio realm a sequence of semiempirical valence-bond models is identified and characterized. The refinement from one model to the next proceeds via either a (perturbative) restriction to a smaller model space or orthogonalization of a suitable natural basis for the model space. The known properties of the models are indicated, and possible methods of solution are mentioned. A great diversity of work is outlined, related, systematized and extended. New research is suggested. 

The powerful interpretative framework of the Valence Bond (VB) theory has been exploited in several couplings and extensions with continuum models. We mention here the most relevant in the present context. 

Pauling always favored the Valence Bond (VB) theory over the Molecular Orbital (MO) theory for the description of the electronic structure of molecules, because the VB model resembles more the pre-quantum theoretical models of chemical bonding. However, modem quantum chemistry is dominated by MO theory, which has clearly prevailed in the computational applications. Nevertheless, a number of terms and concepts of VB theory still play an important role when it comes to the interpretation of the results of a quantum chemical calculation. 

FIGURE 6.37 The electron density for the if/g and ifil wave functions in the simple valence bond model for H2. (a) The electron density pg for if/g and Pu for calculated analytically as described in the text, (b) Three-dimensional isosurface of the electron density for the ipg wave function, as calculated numerically by Generalized Valence Bond Theory (GVB). 

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