Erich Hückel (1896 - 1980) - From Physics to Quantum Chemistry (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol 283) (eBook)

Erich Hückel (1896 - 1980) - From Physics to Quantum Chemistry (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol 283) (eBook)

This study, the first comprehensive account of Erich Hückel's career, examines his scientific work as well as his importance for the emergence of quantum chemistry as an independent discipline in Germany during the 1930s. Hückel began his career by studying quantum physics in Göttingen, but his background in chemistry led him to take up pioneering research on the physics of chemical bonding. Drawing on a variety of sources, Andreas Karachalios offers a probing account of fast-breaking developments in quantum theory that paved the way for Hückel's research. In Göttingen and later in Leipzig, Hückel interacted with leading figures not only in quantum physics and physical chemistry but also with others in nearby fields, including organic chemistry and mathematics. During his later career in Marburg, Hückel clashed with Linus Pauling over the properties of the benzine molecule. In order to appreciate this controversy, Karachalios gives a brief account of the mathematical formalism of spin invariants, with both Hückel and Pauling used in their analyses, though with different interpretations. This serves not only to clarify their differences but also to illustrate the importance of the quantum-mechanical theory of resonance for chemistry at this time.

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Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgments ... 6
Contents ... 7
Introduction ... 9
1 Erich Hckels Education and Scientific Awakening: The Path to Quantum Chemistry ... 16
1.1 The Hckel Family ... 16
1.2 The First Years in Gttingen: Childhood, Elementary and Preparatory Schooling ... 19
1.3 Beginnings at the University of Gttingen and the War Years ... 21
1.4 Continued Studies at Gttingen ... 23
1.5 Hckels Doctorate in Experimental Physics ... 24
1.6 Excursion: First Collaboration with His Brother Walter ... 29
1.7 Intermediate Stops ... 30
1.7.1 David Hilbert's Auxiliary Assistant ... 30
1.7.2 Assistant to Max Born ... 33
1.8 Assistantship Under Peter Debye in Zurich and Habilitation Thesis on the Theory of Strong Electrolytes ... 38
1.9 From the Theory of Strong Electrolytes to the Quantum Theory of Double Bonding ... 44
1.9.1 New Ambitions and Separation from Peter Debye ... 44
1.9.2 Fellowship from the International Education Board in London with Frederick Donnan: New Research Orientation ... 48
1.9.3 Visit at Niels Bohr's Institute in Copenhagen: The Beginnings of the Quantum Theory of Double Bonding ... 55
1.9.4 Fellowship from the Notgemeinschaft at the Leipzig Institute of Theoretical Physics ... 60
2 Erich Hckels Research Agenda During the 1930s: Underpinning Organic Chemistry with Quantum Theory ... 64
2.1 The Quantum Theory of Double Bonding ... 64
2.1.1 Prehistory ... 64
2.1.2 The Beginnings of H'ckel's Quantum-Theoretical Interpretation of Double Bonding ... 69
2.1.3 Excursion: H'ckel's Physicochemical Experiments on the Stability of Cis and Trans Isomers ... 72
2.1.4 The Quantum-Mechanical Interpretation of Double Bonding ... 76
2.1.5 The Response to H'ckel's Quantum Theory of Double Bonding ... 84
2.1.5.1 Hermann Mark's Interest in H'ckel's Quantum Theory of Double Bonding ... 85
2.1.5.2 Friedrich Ebel's Dissemination of H'ckel's Quantum Theory of Double Bonding ... 87
2.1.6 Lecturer of --Chemical Physics-- in Stuttgart: 1930--1937 ... 89
2.2 Quantum Theory of Aromaticity: Symmetry and Electronic Shell Completion ... 92
2.2.1 Prehistory and H'ckel's Point of Departure ... 93
2.2.2 Quantum-Mechanical Interpretation of the Electronic Configuration of Benzene and Related Aromatic Compounds ... 96
2.2.2.1 H'ckel's Two Approximative Statements ... 96
2.2.2.2 Conclusions ... 103
2.2.3 H'ckel's Model of Benzene and Friedrich Hund's Localization Conditions ... 109
2.2.4 The Quantum-Theoretical Basis of the Chemical Behavior of Substituted Benzene Derivatives ... 113
2.2.5 First Reactions to H'ckel's Papers on Aromatic Compounds ... 119
3 The Controversy Between Erich Hckel and Linus Pauling over the Benzene Problem ... 129
3.1 Introduction: Calculating Perturbations with Spin Invariants and the Valence-Line Diagram in Chemistry ... 130
3.2 The First Critical Exchanges ... 141
3.3 Special Portion of Energy Versus Resonance Energy ... 146
4 Linus Paulings Breakthrough to the Theory of Aromatic Compounds and Hckels Reaction ... 154
4.1 Introduction ... 154
4.2 Avowal of the Molecular Orbital Method ... 155
4.3 A New Concept for Describing Aromaticity ... 158
5 Hckels Efforts to Disseminate His Theory and Its Reception ... 163
6 Hckels Professional Career in National Socialist Germany ... 172
6.1 Membership in the National Socialist Welfare and German Workers Party ... 173
6.2 Extraordinary Professorship in Theoretical Physics at Marburg ... 174
7 The Postwar Years ... 181
8 Summary and Concluding Remarks ... 184
Appendix ... 187
Abbreviations Used for Frequently Cited Journals ... 187
Archives ... 187
Bibliography ... 189
Index ... 203

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Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgments; Introduction
1 Erich Hückel s Education and Scientific Awakening: The Path to Quantum Chemistry
2 Erich Hückel s Research Agenda during the 1930s: Underpinning Organic Chemistry with Quantum Theory
3 The Controversy between Erich Hückel and Linus Pauling over the Benzene Problem
4 Linus Pauling s Breakthrough to the Theory of Aromatic Compounds and Hückel s Reaction
5 Hückel s Efforts to Disseminate His Theory and Its Reception
6 Hückel s Professional Career in National Socialist Germany
7 The Postwar Years
8 Summary and Concluding Remarks
Appendix, I Abbreviations Used for Frequently Cited Journals
II Archives
III Bibliography