How to Persuade Undergraduates to Use Chemical Graph Theory

TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 5 Issue 4 (2000) pp 171-174

How to Persuade Undergraduates to Use Chemical Graph Theory

Richard Francis Langler

Department of Chemistry, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1G8 Canada

Published online: 1 August 2000

Abstract. New techniques are presented that permit the use of chemical graph theory to obtain secular equations for small molecules. The new techniques significantly accelerate manual calculations. A previously unrecognized relationship between the characteristic polynomial for a Hückel annulene and the secular equation for the corresponding Mobius annulene is deduced. The power of the graph-theoretical approach to illuminate chemically useful generalizations at the Hückel level is exemplified.

Key Words: In the Classroom; organic chemistry; Hückel

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: rlangler@mta.ca)

Article in PDF format (94 KB) HTML format