Force Laws, Lewis Structures and Resonance in Organic Chemistry

Explore the fundamental concepts of chemical bonding in this 50-minute lecture from Yale University's Freshman Organic Chemistry course. Delve into Newton's search for a force law describing chemical bonds, examining the limitations of direct and inverse distance dependencies. Discover the Morse potential as a composite solution. Learn about G. N. Lewis's cubic-octet theory and shared pair model, which revolutionized our understanding of bonding. Master Lewis-dot notation and formal charge concepts. Investigate cases where the Lewis formalism falls short, introducing the concept of resonance. The lecture covers Newton's "Additions," chemical force laws, the Morse potential, early understandings of valence, and deriving structure and reactivity from valence electrons. Gain valuable insights into the historical development and modern understanding of chemical bonding principles.