Symmetry and Spectroscopy

"The authors use an informal but highly effective writing style to present a uniform and consistent treatment of the subject matter." — Journal of Chemical Education .

The primary focus of this text is to introduce students to vibrational and electronic spectroscopy, presenting applications of group theory to the interpretation of UV, visible, and infrared spectra without assuming a high level of background knowledge.

The text is divided into five chapters that address the fundamentals of group theory, qualitative aspects of quantum mechanics, vibrational spectroscopy, molecular orbital theory, and electronic spectroscopy. To make the exposition clear and meaningful, each new concept is applied or illustrated with experimental results as quickly as possible. In addition, each chapter features a large number of relevant problems through which students can test their understanding of text material. These problems are an integral part of the text and sometimes introduce new material. Solutions to the problems (often accompanied by detailed explanations) can be found in an appendix.

Carefully written to provide a solid foundation in spectroscopic analysis, the book devotes significant attention to the interpretation and significance of vibrational and electronic spectra, including good introductory material on Raman and photo-electron spectroscopy, vibronic analysis, and transition metal complexes. Moreover, many of the concepts presented clearly here can be easily extended to studies in other fields of chemistry. Also included are numerous helpful figures and line drawings illustrating important concepts.