Molecular quantum mechanics in biology

Abstract

Among the different fields of natural sciences, physics is concerned with the most basic properties of matter. It is possible to define the necessary physical concepts in a rather unique way and carry out experiments under well-controlled conditions. The interpretation of experiments is therefore comparatively easy. In chemistry the situation is more complicated and the interpretation becomes more ambiguous. Biology finally is characterized by its high degree of complexity, making the detailed analysis difficult. Since the problems of biology are so essential, it is very important to use every tool available to clarify the situation, state the problems as carefully as possible and approximate the solution from as many sides as are feasible. Therefore, not only the methods developed within biology but also those pertinent to chemistry and physics should be applied. For this reason also quantum mechanics may be able to contribute to the elucidation of biological problems.