Group Theory and Chemistry

Graduate level physical organic chemistry required a knowledge of group theory that I didn't have until I got this book. Within the first 20 pages, you'll understand symmetry elements and symmetry operations and their notations.

I really wish I had this book when it first came out! The table on page 46 is of great use. The coverage in the books goes well with my own experience and Cottom's book on Inorganic Chemistry. My one very basic bone to pick is from my long ( 40 or more years) work involving group theory. Neither Cartan groups or Coxeter are mentioned or their relationship to these point groups. The Federov space groups used in crystallography are also ignored. The result is to make western Chemistry students second class in world education( ignorant of basics in the Mathematics of groups). I can't blame this on Bishop as he is only following Dr. Cotton's lead. I read a recent cosmology book in which a very well educated American physics Ph.D. shows a basic ignorance of Federov space groups. None of the editors caught it and it is in print ... Russians everywhere must be laughing. I think that we have to integrate the mathematical approach to group theory with the Chemical-Physical approach, so that instead of rote use of formulas, understanding is involved.

This book presents the theory in a straightforward way. Nevertheless, it is far from being superficial. It covers the basics about symmetry operations, point groups, matrices, matrix representations, equivalent and reducible representations, irreducible representations and character tables. Then, it connects the theory with quantum mechanics and molecular vibrations. For me, the ratio satisfaction/price of this book is very high.

Bishop's book is intended for students in the fields of physical chemistry and chemical physics, and limits its scope to subjects of interest to these people. Hard core physicists may want to turn to some other text for this reason, but the ease of presentation should still make the book attractive to them. It more or less only covers finite point groups, but the full rotation group is also discussed (superficially, not to scare away the mathematically disinclined). The book is eminently readable, and explains the uses of group theory within chemistry in a lucid and actually enjoyable way. The text is self-contained, and is suitable for private study. Vibrational spectroscopy, hybridization and symmetrization of wave functions in quantum chemistry are among the applications covered.

Ever wonder how to simplify those hard to solve quatum mechanics chemistry problems, well I just don't have the anwer. I can, however, say that this fantastic book does a great job of explaining such a hard subject and,as an added bonus as the end, give you a fresh new hope of being able to solve such problems using group theory. First chemistry book I couldn't put down