Lecture

Symmetry and Group Theory

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In course

CH-250: Mathematical methods in chemistry

This course consists of two parts. The first part covers basic concepts of molecular symmetry and the application of group theory to describe it. The second part introduces Laplace transforms and Fourier series and their use for solving ordinary and partia ...

Description

This lecture covers the fundamental concepts of symmetry and group theory, focusing on symmetry operations, symmetry elements, and their applications in chemistry. The instructor provides insights into molecular symmetry, interactive 3D illustrations, and suggested readings for further understanding. Additionally, the lecture includes information on teaching assistants, midterm exams, and NMR spectra interpretation.

Instructors (2)

Ulrich Lorenz

Teaching & PhD PhD Students Jakub Hruby Past EPFL PhD Students Pavel Olshin, Gabriele Bongiovanni, Chengcheng Yan, Oliver Florian Harder, Mowry Nathan Junior, Constantin Richard Krüger

Jiri Vanicek

Teaching & PhD PhD Students Liam Oliver Marsh, Yeha Lee, Davide Barbiero, Yannick Calvino Alonso, Manas Nagda Past EPFL PhD Students Cesare Mollica, Ray Marcel Marin Florez, Marius Wehrle, Aurélien Patoz, Konstantin Karandashev, Tomislav Begusic, Julien Roulet, Seonghoon Choi, Roya Moghaddasi Fereidani, Zhan Tong Zhang, Eriks Kletnieks, Alan Scheidegger, Fabian Kröninger Courses Mathematical methods in chemistry CH-250 This course consists of two parts. The first part covers basic concepts

Official source

Related concepts (21)

Symmetry

Symmetry () in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is invariant under some transformations, such as translation, reflection, rotation, or scaling. Although these two meanings of the word can sometimes be told apart, they are intricately related, and hence are discussed together in this article.

Symmetry group

In group theory, the symmetry group of a geometric object is the group of all transformations under which the object is invariant, endowed with the group operation of composition. Such a transformation is an invertible mapping of the ambient space which takes the object to itself, and which preserves all the relevant structure of the object. A frequent notation for the symmetry group of an object X is G = Sym(X). For an object in a metric space, its symmetries form a subgroup of the isometry group of the ambient space.

Chemistry

Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science under natural sciences that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior and the changes they undergo during a reaction with other substances. Chemistry also addresses the nature of chemical bonds in chemical compounds. In the scope of its subject, chemistry occupies an intermediate position between physics and biology.

Molecular orbital

In chemistry, a molecular orbital (ɒrbədl) is a mathematical function describing the location and wave-like behavior of an electron in a molecule. This function can be used to calculate chemical and physical properties such as the probability of finding an electron in any specific region. The terms atomic orbital and molecular orbital were introduced by Robert S. Mulliken in 1932 to mean one-electron orbital wave functions. At an elementary level, they are used to describe the region of space in which a function has a significant amplitude.

Symmetry (geometry)

In geometry, an object has symmetry if there is an operation or transformation (such as translation, scaling, rotation or reflection) that maps the figure/object onto itself (i.e., the object has an invariance under the transform). Thus, a symmetry can be thought of as an immunity to change. For instance, a circle rotated about its center will have the same shape and size as the original circle, as all points before and after the transform would be indistinguishable.

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