if band structures give you a headache…
April 9th, 2008 by Ψ*Ψhie thee to the library and read this awesome book.[1] It was written with chemists in mind (yay!), and bases many explanations on MO theory. I’m only about 40 pages in, but the squiggly little lines already make sense. Seriously, pick up a copy of this! NOW! (Even if band theory doesn’t do anything for you, it’s an excuse to read something by Hoffmann, whose writing is AMAZING.) There’s a chance I might do a quickie post on the subject in the future, for those who are allergic to books, but that involves having free time.
While we’re on the subject of reading things, good news for people who have limited journal access–lots of RSC articles are FREE! this month. Free is always good, right?[2]
Also, the best cure for a solid-state-physics-induced headache is a kitty. Here are two of mine for you to awwwww over.
[1] Infinite thanks to everyone who recommended I read this.
[2] Especially as it pertains to beer.
awwwwww!!!! The kitty’s reading C&EN.
Heh. Of course my cats are nerdy.
One of mine reads JOC…well, she sits on it while I try to read it. Does that count?
Awwwww. I don’t know if it counts or not…the orange kitty (Stanley) likes to nibble on C&EN.
of course it counts – kids get into chemistry by pursuing something that they find enjoyable. I can’t see why it should be any different for kitties.
I don’t think my cats really pursue anything – well, cat # 1 pursues cat #2 (to play or groom her), and cat #2 pursues electrical cords, laser pointer dots, and dangly things, but no actual academic subjects.
There was a CEN article last year about a cat who liked to nibble CEN – just the edges, apparently.
R. B. Woodward and his friend decided to test cyanide on a cat as kids. For some strange reason they decided against it at the last moment.
That book by hoffmann was first two reviews in Angewandte Chemie and Rev. Mod. Phys. So just print these out if you don’t have access to the book (which is a little hard to find I think…)
First part: DOI: 10.1002/anie.198708461
Second Part: DOI: 10.1103/RevModPhys.60.601
Huh. i figured it would probably be pretty much everywhere since it’s in our library here. Glad you posted the reviews, though!
Haha, so true. And as for “free time,” has Frankfort started working you hard?
They have me trained on enough methods that I’m slammed when we have a lot of samples in. However, it takes a good 2-3 hours for the Mantech to run everything in the autosampler, and I prefer to avoid doing much else while that’s going on in case QC fails and I need to restart the run. Reading helps to pass the time.
why do you always post things when I’m about to?
Hmmmm?
Consider it an incentive to post more frequently?
Walking to the library now.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…here, kitty kitty
As you said, RF is a fine writer and poet. Another one of his reviews I like is:
“The Chemical Imagination at Work in Very Tight Places”
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Volume 46, Issue 20, Date: May 11, 2007, Pages: 3620-3642
Wojciech Grochala, Roald Hoffmann, Ji Feng, Neil W. Ashcroft
He is also a fun guy. My advisor took a picture of him in a wig performing a magic show at a meeting and has framed it in his office.
I can never get past the introductory paragraph of this Hoffman article, but it sure makes a fun start to a JACS article:
Possible Hard Materials Based on Interpenetrating Diamond-like Networks.
Also note the contact address for the 3rd author.
wow. Only Hoffmann could get away with something that readable and charming (and irrelevant).
He just gave a talk here, and mentioned this story…the best part is…RH goes to all the trouble to model this compound, gets a JACS, and then the author effed up the chemical formula in the book.
He’s a great speaker…very entertaining. They were also staging his play here the same week he came to talk, so I went to it….let’s just say he’s a better chemist than playwright.
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/uncleal2.jpg
Xerxes Imperator, RIP.
May your lfie contain One Great Cat, at least.
Totally off topic but just to let you know that Lab Cat likes you. I just gave this blog and E rating.
Thanks for all your hard work.
Kitties are cute and they know chemistry. Mine loves New Scientist.
Hooray! Thanks =)
I sucked it up and read Kittel. And then I cried.
Then I read Kantorovich. And then I cheered.
It’s all in the author, it seems.
So Kantorovich = good? I’ll have to keep that in mind.
I wanted to sit in on a solid-state physics class before leaving here, but scheduling is all wrong for it. Oh well. That’s why we have textbooks, eh?