Optical Activity in Digonal Dihedral Transition Metal Complexes

Abstract

Although ROSENFELD, BORN and JORDAN correctly described the origin of optical rotatory power in molecular systems quantum mechanically as early als 1929 [its classical explanation had been well-understood since the work of FRESNEL (1822), CAUCHY (1842), GIBBS (1882), DRUDE (1892), NATANSON (1908), BORN (1915), OSEEN (1915), GRAY (1915), de MALLEMANN (1924), Kuhn (1929), BOYS (1934), and their comtemporaries and followers] , the explicit use of their equations [Condon, Altar and EYRING (1937), KIRKWOOD (1937), GORIN, WALTER, KAU ZMANN and EYRING (1938–40), MOFFITT (1956–58), FITTS and KIRKWOOD (1956–58), MOSCOWITZ (1956&#x2013);, WASSERMAN (1956&#x2013);, de HEER and MOSCOWITZ(1956&#x2013);, de HEER and WASSERMAN (1956&#x2013);, MOSCOWITZ and SNYDER (1960&#x2013);, JULG (1961) and their comtemporaries and followers] to elucidate the observed activity in specific compounds has proved disappointingly difficult because of the rigorous limitations placed upon the type of approximations that may be feasibly made. For example, SUGANO (1960), PIPER (1961), HAMER (1962), POULET (1962) and LIEHR (1956&#x2013), using first order perturbation theory, have recently shown that electrostatic fields cannot give rise to rotatory power in inorganic com — plexes (1).