Quantum Nanochemistry: 5-Volume Set. By Mihai V. Putz

Abstract

This book, with its 2889 pages in five volumes, represents an impressive piece of work written by a single author. The wide variety of topics covered by the book reveals the author's deep and encyclopedic knowledge of quantum theory. The author identifies himself as a theoretical physicist, and characterizes his book as a compilation of his lecture notes which he has used within his classes. The author's favorite topics can be easily recognized in all five volumes. The sections on the history of quantum theory examine concepts and fundamental quantum theories in retrospect, and may prove useful and amusing reading for lecturers teaching quantum theory. Moreover, the unconventional look at some problems related to quantum theory may prove inspiring for experts actively working in the field. Students may find some useful material in the book, although it seems more difficult to read than many other standard textbooks on quantum theory so far published.The title of the book may invoke an expectation that the content deals with theories and quantum chemical computational methods developed for the understanding of elementary steps in complex chemical processes occurring in modern nanotechnologies. However, this is not the case. The book does not deal with nanochemistry at all. Nor is it a textbook, for the most part. As stated in the preface, the book narrates the "story of quantum chemistry" as an extended review paper. This is unlike content currently available in textbooks, which are written as monographs displaying chapters as themes of interest. A somewhat disturbing feature of the book is the author's overselling of his own research in some places. For instances, the author barely cites the work of established coryphaei in areas of quantum theory. The book may therefore be recommended to libraries of university departments of physics and physically oriented research laboratories, although less so to chemists interested in the theory of nanochemistry.Volume I: (Quantum Theory and Observability) deals with the fundamental concepts of quantum theory. It contains five chapters.Chapter 1 (Phenomenological Quantification of Matter, 63 pages) covers topics that are typical within introductory sections of textbooks on quantum theory. Special attention is paid to the explanation of unification of corpuscular and undulatory natures of matter.Chapter 2 (Formalization of Quantum Mechanics, 96 pages) provides a survey of the main formal concepts of quantum theory that are used in the mathematical description of quantum phenomena treated in Chapter 1. The topics covered are concepts and tools for the mathematical description of the wave function, the correspondence principle, and the bra-ket formalism.Chapter 3 (Postulates of Quantum Mechanics: Basic Applications, 192 pages). In this chapter, attention is paid mainly to quantum tunneling, the Schrödinger equation, Laguerre polynomials, vibrational motion, free electronic states in solids, quantum transition and scattering theory. Derivation of working formulas and equations ...