Introduction

Abstract

There is in progress a promising evolution in the conceptual framework that solid-state chemists utilize in their attempts to understand the interrelationship between crystal structure and physical properties of solids on the one hand and the electronic interactions within the solid on the other. As has been true of chemistry generally, this evolution is closely linked to our ability to meaningfully apply the concepts of basic physics, especially the laws of quantum mechanics, to chemically useful descriptions of real systems, and its ultimate success will hinge upon the essential physical character of the models to which these concepts are applied.