Hydrogenlike Atoms

Abstract

The most important spherically symmetric problem for our introduction to quantum chemistry is the hydrogenlike, or one-electron, atom. All atoms except for hydrogen, and all molecules, have more than one electron— although there are a number of one-electron ions. However, the results we obtain for the one-electron atoms will play an important role in our treatment of atoms, and eventually molecules, with several electrons. Problems related to the presence of several electrons will be considered in Chapter 7. When we consider many-electron atoms in Chapter 8, it will be important to be familiar with the properties of the energy levels and wave functions of the one-electron atom.

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