A chemical structure of a molecule is a spatial arrangement of its atoms and their chemical bonds. Its determination includes a chemist's specifying the molecular geometry and, when feasible and necessary, the electronic structure of the target molecule or other solid. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule and the chemical bonds that hold the atoms together and can be represented using structural formulae and by molecular models;[1] complete electronic structure descriptions include specifying the occupation of a molecule's molecular orbitals.[2][3] Structure determination can be applied to a range of targets from very simple molecules (e.g., diatomic oxygen or nitrogen) to very complex ones (e.g., such as protein or DNA).
- ^ Haaland, Arne (2008). Molecules and Models: The Molecular Structures of Main Group Element Compounds. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-923535-3. OCLC 173809048.
- ^ Weinhold, Frank; Landis, Clark R. (2005). Valency and Bonding: A Natural Bond Orbital Donor-Acceptor Perspective. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83128-8. OCLC 59712377.
- ^ Gillespie, Ronald J.; Popelier, Paul L. A. (2001). Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry: From Lewis to Electron Densities. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-510495-1. OCLC 43552798.