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Symmetry and Selection Rules

In this final Part of the book, the application of symmetry to understanding and interpreting electronic spectra will be addressed. In electronic spectroscopy electrons are moved between molecular orbitals0020in a manner dictated by symmetry, under the influence of ultra-violet or visible radiation. In this the first of three chapters on the topic, the way the distribution of electrons in orbitals can be described in terms of symmetry labels will be addressed and we will take a preliminary look at the selection rules for electronic transitions; in the process, the selection rules for vibrational spectra, presented only as a result but without justification in Chapter 4 (Sections 4.2 and4.3), will be discussed ...

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