The Theory of Intermolecular Forces (International Series of Monographs on Chemistry , No 32)

Rating:
Summary: Nature's microscopic forces
Review: Intermolecular forces pervade the whole of chemistry and biology. Just think about two molecules that are going to initiate a chemical reaction, or about the transduction of biochemical signals via ligand-binding at the active site of a membrane protein. These are but few fundamental processes without which life would not exist. However, in spite of the overwhelming importance of intermolecular interactions, few books have been fully devoted to this subject. Stone's book attempts to illustrate the theories and models that have been developed so far by physical-chemists in order to describe the forces acting among molecules. Across 13 chapters you will find in-depth descriptions about electrostatic interactions, atom-atom potentials, intermolecular perturbation theory, distributed multipoles, etc. The mathematical treatment is rather advanced and it requires a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics. Future editions (if any) might include some material about the theoretical treatment of interactions within large molecular systems, such as DNA-protein and protein-protein complexes. All in all this is a good and comprehensive book which is worth of being in your bookshelf. Another book on the same subject is "Intermolecular and Surface Forces" by Jacob N. Israelachvili.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive treatment
Review: This book provides a comprehensive examination of the forces between atoms and molecules, specifically in finite systems such as gases and clusters. The different types of bonding are examined, and a strong mathematical treatment accompanies the whole text.

I did not give five stars to this book for two reasons. First, there could be more figures to aid in the understanding of the text. Second, the text emphasizes the Hartree-Fock (HF) approach to understanding the quantum mechanical origins of different forces, even though by 1996 (the book's publication date) density functional theory (DFT) calculations were often as accurate as HF calculations for molecules, and were systematically better for extended solids. Therefore, the text should have used less HF theory in explaining different phenomena.