Introduction to Quantum Mechanics with Applications to Chemistry (Dover Books on Physics)

This is an introductory quantum mechanics book that focuses exclusively on how this new (at the time this book was written) mechanics clarifies the nature of chemical bonds. By focusing on this problem this book is able to provide a simplified treatment of quantum mechanics as unbound electron states can be excluded. The treatment is further simplified by ingoring all magnetic effects such as spin-orbit coupling. By doing so, even more simplifcation is permitted in the form of an extremely elementary treatment of spin, basically up or down. As such there are no spinors or Pauli matrices anywhere in this work. Finally, relativistic effects are neglected as well. The introductory chapters provide a brief review of pertinent ideas in classical mechanics and then present the essential elements of the orginal Sommerfield quantum mechanics. This is useful to students as this theory is often used in examples and is interesting historically. These chapters culminate in a detailed chapter on the electron wave functions for the hydrogen atom which includes a table of these functions as well as graphs so the student can spend some time really getting to know them. That's a good thing as they are heavily relied upon through the rest of the book, and this book is filled with useful and helpful tables and figures such as these. Next are two chapters on approximation methods. Time independent perturbation theory and the variational method are emphasized, and both are used heavily and extremely illuminatingly in the remainder of the text. The use of these tools was one of my favorite things about this book. This is an excellent text and I would suggest a student of quantum mechanics read it early, certainly before Dirac. Whether or not it is suitable as a first text on the subject is a different matter. This book provides extremely poor motivation (as in none) for Schordinger's equation, simply introducing it in an entirely postulatory manner. This was a difficult pill for me to swallow pedagocically, but it definitely simplifies the treatment as there is no need to discuss Fourier transforms for instance as is necessary in The Principles of Statistical Mechanics for example. For the serious student of quantum chemistry, this book may well be considered only a meager and dated introduction, but it is excellent nonetheless. And any early stage student of quantum theory should find this book highly profitable reading.

This a Nice introduction to Quantum mechanics. It is a good reading to expand the información found in textbooks.

As I started reading it I loved it, is so easy to understand it because it leads you from the basic equations which are needed to understand the theory, the origins of it and how did it changed trough time because of the observations and experiments made to explain it, it includes basic problems for the hydrogen atom and much more about the quantum explanation of matter.

If you are trying to get into a fundamental understanding of Quantum this is a good text. Not a lot of pretty pictures, and yes they do dump you into partial differentiation by page 2, but hey, better that than 100 pages of pablum before you get to the meat. Yes, it is old, written originally in the 1930's but it is still all good.

This is a very interesting book, but quite dense. It says it is rated at an undergraduate level, however that is unlikely for today’s undergraduate standards. That’s why I’m giving it 4 stars. It is very sturdy, and has survived many moves.

I bought this book thinking it was a reprint of Dr. Paulings earlier book on Quantum Mechanics that was published in 1935. The original book had a blue cover and was more oriented towards an introductory book on Quantum Mechanics/ However, when I received this book I found it focused more on the chemistry rather than the physics side of the science. I still am looking for the original book that was also published in 1935. Ron Feltman EE

This book is one of my favorite scientists, Pauling's work, and my teacher recommend me to read it. I can't wait to read it!! If you want to understand how Nobelist "see" quantum world, you have to read it~

This is the best ever text in quantum mechanics. Every one which intents start in this field should read this book. It contains all the elementary steps to understand this difficult field in a language and in such detail which is not found any more in the modern books.