Active Thermochemical Tables: Enthalpies of Formation of Bromo- and Iodo-Methanes, Ethenes and Ethynes.

The thermochemistry of halocarbon species containing iodine and bromine is examined through an extensive interplay between new Feller-Peterson-Dixon (FPD) style composite methods and a detailed analysis of all available experimental and theoretical determinations using the thermochemical network that underlies the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT). From the computational viewpoint, a slower convergence of the components of composite thermochemistry methods is observed relative to species that solely contain first row elements, leading to a higher computational expense for achieving comparable levels of accuracy. Potential systematic sources of computational uncertainty are investigated, and, not surprisingly, spin-orbit coupling is found to be a critical component, particularly for iodine containing molecular species.

Orbital contraction and covalent bonding.

According to Ruedenberg's classic treatise on the theory of chemical bonding [K. Ruedenberg, Rev. Mod.

The Basics of Covalent Bonding in Terms of Energy and Dynamics.

We address the paradoxical fact that the concept of a covalent bond, a cornerstone of chemistry which is well resolved computationally by the methods of quantum chemistry, is still the subject of debate, disagreement, and ignorance with respect to its physical origin. Our aim here is to unify two seemingly different explanations: one in terms of energy, the other dynamics. We summarize the mechanistic bonding models and the debate over the last 100 years, with specific applications to the simplest molecules: H and H.

The Virial Theorem and Covalent Bonding.

A long-held view of the origin of covalent binding is based on the notion that electrostatic forces determine the stability of a system of charged particles and that, therefore, potential energy changes drive the stabilization of molecules. A key argument advanced for this conjecture is the rigorous validity of the virial theorem. Rigorous in-depth analyses have however shown that the energy lowering of covalent bonding is due to the wave mechanical drive of electrons to lower their kinetic energy through expansion.

Covalent Bonding in the Hydrogen Molecule.

This work addresses the continuing disagreement between two schools of thought concerning the mechanism of covalent bonding. According to Hellmann, Ruedenberg, and Kutzelnigg, covalent bonding is a quantum mechanical phenomenon whereby lowering of the kinetic energy associated with electron sharing, i.e.