Towards a new description of the chemical bonding in nature

What is it about?

We propose here a new unbiased theoretical method to assay the nature of the chemical bond. It relies on the graphical representation of the local electron energy density H(r) and on the quantitative estimate of few associated analytical descriptors. The method self-consistently describes the chemical bond in terms of the three major categories typically used in the chemical language: the covalent bond, the ionic bond, and the non-covalent interactions driving the stability of more or less complex intermolecular aggregates. The large number of our explored species suggests that the proposed approach is of general validity and equally applicable to various types of chemical compounds. We, therefore, hope that it can find acceptance as an additional tool to investigate the peculiarities and fine properties of the chemical bond in nature.

Featured Image

Photo by Terry Vlisidis on Unsplash

Photo by Terry Vlisidis on Unsplash

Why is it important?

We examine numerous illustrative examples of covalent, non-covalent and ionic interactions, showing in particular how the nature of these bonds is inferred by examining the modes of combination of the atomic H(r). We then provide a short summary of our proposed mode of classification of the different nature of the mutual interactions modulating the underlyng chemical bonding. Chemical bonds hold atoms together to form molecules, which are the building blocks of all matter; they allow the formation of essential compounds like water, proteins, and DNA. They give substances their physical and chemical properties, such as hardness, solubility, or conductivity. Without chemical bonds, life and the natural world as we know it could not exist

Perspectives