Providing a non-mathematical and visual account of the concepts of quantum mechanics widely encountered in chemistry and related disciplines, this work is useful to students for its brief non-mathematical summaries of key concepts, to instructors as a source of explanations, illustrations, and references, and to others.

From reviews of the first edition `An excellent book ... sprightly, non-pedantic, often a delight to read ... the book is a gold mine.' Journal of Chemical Education `His marriage of extraordinarily good English with a marvellous grounding in the physical sciences has produced a clear, simple (yet profound) work which will grace any science reference collection. The bibliography ... cannot be faulted; the index is a marvel.' The New York Public Library 'it provides a wealth of concise, non-mathematical descriptions of many of the key ideas used when chemists talk about the shape and structure of atoms and molecules ... this is another marvellous book by Peter Atkins ... It offers something for all involved in chemical education, and I expect it to find widespread use by both students and their teachers ... this second edition of 'Quanta' is quite excellent and a very welcome addition to the chemical education literature.' Faraday Transactions '"Quanta" will be invluable for students, but also to all practising scientists searching for an interesting, accessible account of almost any aspect of quantum chemistry. This simple yet profound explanation of the concepts of quantum chemistry will be useful for any science reference collection, and can be recommended for a detailed study. Book Reviews 'The standard of production is remarkably good ... In this respect it stands out from the flood of books that are poor value for money ... it can be strongly recommended as an aid to finding one's way around the field and as a reference manual to use in conjunction with other reading.' Wolfram Sander, Institut für Organische Chemie der Technischen Universität Braunschweig, Angewandte Chemie, 31/8 1992 'This is a richly illustrated compilation of non-mathematical descriptions of the concepts and tools of quantum mechanics. The book is recommended to all practising chemists.' Structural Chemistry, Vol. 3, No. 3, 1992 'a useful source book for anyone with an interest in the fundamentals of the structure of atoms, molecules and solids ... Quanta is an excellent attempt to portray the quantum world in a way in which the beauty of our current understanding of the interplay of light, electrons and nuclei is made accessible to a wide readership' Professor G. Duxbury, Strathclyde University, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 33, No. 4 24/06/1993

BL Clear, non-mathematical, highly visual account of all the concepts of quantum mechanics which are widely encountered in chemistry BL Two-colour throughout BL New edition - completely rewritten and updated, with many new entries BL Many more illustrations, boxes, and tables, and a completely revised bibliography with entries up to 1991 BL Entries are listed alphabetically, and are clearly cross-referenced BL Suitable for students, teachers, and researchers in all branches of chemistry BL Written by the author of the best-selling texts Physical Chemistry and Molecular Quantum Mechanics

BL Clear, non-mathematical, highly visual account of all the concepts of quantum mechanics which are widely encountered in chemistry BL Two-colour throughout BL New edition - completely rewritten and updated, with many new entries BL Many more illustrations, boxes, and tables, and a completely revised bibliography with entries up to 1991 BL Entries are listed alphabetically, and are clearly cross-referenced BL Suitable for students, teachers, and researchers in all branches of chemistry BL Written by the author of the best-selling texts Physical Chemistry and Molecular Quantum Mechanics