1999/06/13 by G. Baskaran
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat
published as Current Science (Bangalore) vol.75, pp.1254-1258, 1998 (K S Krishnan Birth Centenary Section) · 3 pages, LaTex version
arxiv created 1999/06/13 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
Jahn-Teller theorem, proposed in 1937, predicts a distortional instability for a molecule that has symmetry based degenerate electronic states. In 1939 Krishnan emphasized the importance of this theorem for the arrangement of water molecules around the transition metal or rare earth ions in aqueous solutions and hydrated saltes, in a short and interesting paper published in Nature by pointing out atleast four existing experimental results in support of the theorem. This paper of Krishnan has remained essentially unknown to the practitioners of Jahn-Teller effect, eventhough it pointed to the best experimental results that were available, in the 30's and 40's, in support of Jahn-Teller theorem. Some of the modern day experiments are also in conformity with some specific suggestions of Krishnan.