“This clearly written and elegantly presented short textbook will meet essential needs in diverse undergraduate Chemistry courses, covering orbitals in simple hydrogen – like atoms, multi-electron atoms and in molecules in a mathematically rigorous yet simultaneously physically insightful manner. I will certainly recommend the text to my undergraduates. In excess of 100 problems with full worked answers at all levels are provided and will certainly become a major teaching resource.”

Richard G Compton
Tutor in Chemistry
St John's College
Oxford University, UK

This book describes atomic orbitals at a level suitable for undergraduates in chemistry. The mathematical treatment is brought to life by many illustrations rendered from mathematical functions (no artists' impressions), including three-dimensional plots of angular functions, showing orbital phase, and contour plots of the wavefunctions that result from orbital hybridisation.

Orbitals extends the key fundamental quantum properties to many-electron atoms, linear combinations of atomic orbitals, simple molecules, delocalised systems and atomic spectroscopy. By focusing on simple model systems, use of analogies and avoiding group theory the results are obtained from initial postulates without the need for sophisticated mathematics.