Date of Award
6-1971
Document Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Chemistry
Language
English
Abstract
The Uniform Charge Cloud Method, a model used to describe atoms and molecules, has been investigated. In the model, electrons are viewed as spheres with a constant charge density throughout their volume. In previous studies, it was found that the interelectron repulsion energies calculated for helium were too high, bond distances calculated for molecules were too short, and the model was unable to predict term values in accordance with Hund's Rules. In order to reduce these errors, electron correlation was introduced into the model. It was found that the errors were too large to be corrected by electron correlation. The nature of the charge distribution used to describe electrons was determined to be the cause of the poor results. An attempt to incorporate some of the simplifying features of the Uniform Charge Cloud Method into a model with a charge distribution which peaked near the center gave poor results for the energy of the hydrogen atom.
Recommended Citation
Maxfield, Frederick R., "Critical examination of the Uniform Charge Cloud Method" (1971). Honors Theses. 1805.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/1805
Rights Statement
