Would you like to become a chess master? Or try to become one? Join this class and we'll have fun playing and learning chess. The only prerequisite: know the rules.

The central focus of chemistry is to achieve an understanding of the structure and reactivity of the molecules that construct our surrounding world. Molecular orbital theory is crucial to developing an intuitive understanding of the chemical behavior that governs everything from biological systems to fuel cells. This class presents a rigorous introduction to molecular orbital theory and explores its applications in chemical bonding and reactivity. This class will cover the following topics: - Introductory quantum mechanics (e.g. wavefunctions, operators, Schrodinger equation, etc.) - Atomic structure and mathematical description of atomic orbitals - Valence-bond theory (including hybridization and VSEPR) - Linear combinations of atomic orbitals (LCAO-MO) and molecular orbital theory (including orbital mixing and MO diagrams) - Molecular symmetry and group theory - Construction of symmetry-adapted linear combinations of atomic orbitals and metal-ligand bonding - Applications of MO theory to inorganic chemistry (e.g. crystal and ligand field theory) - Applications of MO theory to organic chemistry (e.g. explanation of reactivity with frontier orbital theory)