Solids: Thermodynamics and Bonding

· The bonding between the atoms is due to the interaction between their electron distributions.
· The bound system is not static, and at all temperatures the atoms vibrate about the minimum of the potential well.
· The system must be treated quantum mechanically, and only certain values of the total energy are allowed. These are shown as blue lines in the diagram.
· The bonding energy is the energy that must be supplied to separate the two atoms to infinity.

From: Carpenter,
"Reaction Dynamics in Organic Chemistry,"
American Scientist (March 1997) 139