Interatomic Forces

Calcutta: The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 1939. Pamphlet. Near Fine. As one of the first scientists to make a career of theoretical physics and theoretical chemistry, Lennard-Jones was an outstanding example of a type that has now become familiar in the physical sciences. His genius was not to make fundamental discoveries or to conduct crucial experiments but to realize quickly the potentialities of new theories proposed by other scientists and, by ingenious and painstaking calculations, to develop them to the stage where they could be applied quantitatively to a wide range of experimental data. His major contributions were in three closely related areas: the determination of interatomic and intermolecular forces; the quantum theory of molecular structure; and the statistical mechanics of liquids, gases, and surfaces." -DSB 7/8:185-6. Special Publication No VIII of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science. Based on lectures delivered at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Calcutta 1938 as the Cooch-Behar Visiting Professor. The lecture is devoted to "a consideration of some of the recent advances in this subject and to indicate the progress which has been made in their determination and interpretation." His conclusion states "we may say that resonance is a phenomenon of considerable importance in both physics and chemistry...Its influence in complex molecules of biological importance has probably not been realized. It offers scope for considerable research and is an interesting example of the progress which can be made when there is close co-operation between theory and experiment." A scarce title with only 2 copies listed worldwide in OCLC Worldcat as of this listing (LNN, LUU). 42 pages plus index. Original grey paper wraps with just a touch of browning to the extremities. Pamphlet.