Physics of Atoms and Molecules; An Introduction to the Structure of Matter

The study of the structure of matter tries to account for the properties of materials in terms of their atomic constitution. This book deals with isolated atoms and molecules to provide basic information for explaining and predicting properties of bulk matter. It is focused on the problems of the size and stability of atoms, their ability to aggregate, and their electric, magnetic, and spectroscopic properties. The treatment of these problems is necessarily couched in the language of quantum mechanics. The development of this language and of the underlying concepts absorbs much space and attention; yet quantum mechanics is not the subject of this book.