Researched
Quantum Chemistry & Bonding
With quantum mechanics, Heitler and London (1927) and Pauling (1939) explain why atoms bond: chemistry becomes computable.
Open in the interactive tree →Lewis proposed the electron-pair bond in 1916, Heitler and London computed the hydrogen molecule quantum-mechanically in 1927, and Pauling turned this into a teaching framework (Nobel Prize 1954). Quantum chemistry gave rise to density functional theory (Kohn, 1965) and computational chemistry, which designs molecules and materials on the computer.
Prerequisites
- Periodic Table of Elements1869
- Discovery of the Electron1897Chemical bonds are shared or transferred electrons
- X-ray Crystallography1912Pauling started from crystal structures to derive bond lengths and rules
- Quantum Mechanics1925
Unlocks
- Structure of DNA1953Pauling's bond chemistry guided the base-pair model building
- First protein structure1958
- Density Functional Theory1965
- Fullerenes1985
- High-Temperature Superconductors1986
- Graphene & 2D Materials2004
- AI Discovers New Materials2023
- MOFs: Chemistry Nobel 20252025
- Artificial Photosynthesisopen
- Targeted Materials Predictionopen