Erich Hückel (1896 - 1980) - From Physics to Quantum Chemistry

This study, the first comprehensive account of Erich H�ckel'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. H�ckel began his career by studying quantum physics in G�ttingen, 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 H�ckel's research.
In G�ttingen and later in Leipzig, H�ckel 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, H�ckel 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 H�ckel 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.