Les piles à combustible microbienne (PACMs) sont des piles capables de convertir l'énergie chimique de combustibles organiques directement en énergie électrique. Dans ces piles, l'oxydation du combustible est assurée par des micro-organismes dits "électro-actifs" qui forment des biofilms à la surface de l'anode et jouent le rôle de catalyseur des réactions électrochimiques. Les travaux qui font l'objet de ce manuscrit ont eu pour objectif d'optimiser des anodes microbiennes formées à partir de la flore bactérienne contenue dans des terreaux de jardin. Les expériences effectuées en chronoampérométrie avec un système à trois électrodes ont conduit à la première démonstration expérimentale que des densités de courant de 66 A/m2 pouvaient être obtenues en formant les anodes microbiennes sur des ultra-microélectrodes. Sur des électrodes de taille normale, la mise au point d'une nouvelle technique (polarisation retardée) pour la formation de biofilms microbiens a permis d'obtenir des densités de courant de 9,4 A/m2 après seulement 3 jours de polarisation tandis que le protocole conventionnel demandait quelques semaines pour obtenir 6 à 8 A/m2. L'étude de différents matériaux d'électrode a indiqué que l'acier inoxydable qui permit d'atteindre des densités de courant de 21 A/m2 présente un grand intérêt pour la formation de biofilms électro-actifs. En effet, les électrodes en tissu de carbone ont assuré jusqu'à 34,3 A/m2, voire 50 A/m2 en anaérobiose, mais elles bénéficiaient d'une structure tridimensionnelle. La mise en oeuvre des anodes microbiennes optimisées dans les PACMs a assuré la production de 6,0 W/m2. L'élaboration d'un nouveau prototype intégrant un système de cathode amovible a permis d'allonger la durée de vie initiale de la pile de 2 semaines à plus de 2 mois / Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are devices capable to convert chemical energy from organic fuels directly into electrical energy. In these cells, the fuel oxidation is provided by micro-organisms known as "electro-active"; these microorganism form biofilms on the surface of the anode and act as a catalyst for electrochemical reactions. The aim of this work was the optimisation of microbial anodes formed from bacterial flora contained in garden soils. The chronoamperometric experiments performed in a three-electrode system showed for the very first time in these systems that current densities of 66 A/m2 could be obtained by forming microbial anodes on ultra-microelectrodes. On electrode of normal size, the development of a new technique (delayed polarisation) for designing microbial biofilms produced current densities of 9.4 A/m2 after 3 days of polarisation, while the conventional protocol asked a few weeks for obtaining 6 to 8 A/m2. The study of different electrode materials indicated that stainless steel allowed reaching current densities up to 21 A/m2, which makes it a suitable candidate for designing electro-active biofilms. Indeed, the carbon electrodes provided up to 34.4 A/m2, even 50 A/m2 in anaerobic conditions, but the electrodes benefited of a three-dimensional structure contrasting the stainless steel electrode. The use of optimised microbial anodes in MFCs insured the production of 6 W/m2. In addition, the development of a new prototype containing a removable cathode allowed extending the lifetime of the initial MFC from 2 weeks to over 2 months

The design of dyes for NiO-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has drawn attention owing to their potential applications in photocatalysis and because they are indispensable for the development of tandem dye-sensitized solar cells. The understanding of the electron transfer mechanisms and dynamics is beneficial to guide further dye design and further improve the performance of photocathode in solar cells and solar fuel devices. Time-resolved spectroscopy techniques, especially femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, supply sufficient resolution to get insights into the charge transfer processes in p-type dye sensitized solar cell and solar fuel devices. In paper I-V, several kinds of novel organic “push-pull” and inorganic charge transfer dyes for sensitization of p-type NiO, were systematically investigated by time-resolved spectroscopy, and photo-induced charge transfer dynamics of the organic/inorganic dyes were summarized. The excited state and reduced state intermediates were investigated in solution phase as references to confirm the charge injection and recombination on the NiO surface. The charge recombination kinetics is remarkably heterogeneous in some cases occurring on time scales spanning at least six orders of magnitude even for the same dye. In this thesis, we also proposed a novel concept of solid state p-type dye sensitized solar cells (p-ssDSSCs) for the first time (paper VI), using an organic dye P1 as sensitizer on mesoporous NiO and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as electron conductor. Femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy gave evidence for sub-ps hole injection from excited P1 to NiO, followed by electron transfer from P1●- to PCBM. The p-ssDSSCs device showed an impressive 620 mV open circuit photovoltage. Chapter 6 (paper VII) covers the study of electron transfer mechanisms in a covalently linked dye-catalyst (PB-2) sensitized NiO photocathode, towards hydrogen producing solar fuel devices. Hole injection from excited dye (PB-2*) into NiO VB takes place on dual time scales, and the reduced PB-2 (PB-2●-) formed then donates an electron to the catalyst unit.  The subsequent regeneration efficiency of PB-2 by the catalyst unit (the efficiency of catalyst reduction) is determined to ca. 70%.

Ce travail s’inscrit dans la recherche de nouveaux 5-nitroimidazoles fonctionnalisés à visée thérapeutique. L’étude de la réactivité du 4-bromo-1,2-diméthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole vis-à-vis des réactions de couplages de Suzuki, Sonogashira et Stille a permis la synthèse de nouveaux 5-nitroimidazoles substitués en position 4. Par ailleurs, un couplage de Suzuki régiosélectif a pu être mis au point sur le 2,4-dibromo-1-méthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole permettant l’accès en une seule étape à des composés substitués à la fois en positions 2 et 4. Parmi les composés synthétisés via ces couplages pallado-catalysés, les dérivés chlorométhylés conjugués avec le groupement nitro ont été utilisés en tant que substrats pour l’étude de réactions par transfert monoélectronique (SRN1, TDAE). Ainsi, dans une seconde partie, nous décrivons la réaction entre le 4-(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-1,2-diméthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole et plusieurs anions nitronates dans des conditions de SRN1. Cette réactivité a pu être étendue au 2,4-bis(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-1-méthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole permettant la réalisation d’une bis-SRN1. La méthodologie TDAE a été mise en œuvre sur le 4-(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-1,2-diméthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole, avec de faibles rendements observés, contrairement à ceux obtenus avec le (E)-4-[4- (chlorométhyl)styryl]-1,2-diméthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole sur lequel plusieurs types d’électrophile ont pu être additionnés. Enfin, le pouvoir mutagène, ainsi que le potentiel de réduction des 5-nitroimidazoles synthétisés ont été déterminés. L’évaluation anti-infectieuse est actuellement en cours sur des souches de Giardia lamblia et sur une grande variété de bactéries anaérobies strictes. / This work focuses on the synthesis of novel functionalized 5-nitroimidazoles possessing therapeutic activities. New 4-substituted-5-nitroimidazoles were obtained using Suzuki, Stille or Sonogashira cross-coupling using the 4-bromo-1,2 dimethyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole. Moreover, access to functionalized products at both 2 and 4 positions of imidazole ring was developed thanks to a regioselective Suzuki cross-coupling on the 2,4-dibromo-1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole. Among cross-coupling products, those possessing chloromethyle substituent conjugated with the nitro group, were employed as starting material in the single electron transfer reaction (SRN1, TDAE) studies. Therefore, in a second part, we described the reaction between the 4-(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-1,2-dimethyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole and several nitronate anions in SRN1 conditions. This reactivity was applied to the 2,4-bis(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-1-méthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole allowing the formation of bis-SRN1 products. TDAE methodology was implemented on the 4-(3-chloroprop-1-ynyl)-1,2-dimethyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole, however poor yields were observed. TDAE strategy on the (E)-4-[4-(chlorométhyl)styryl]-1,2-diméthyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazole were more successful, addition products with different electrophilic species were obtained. Finally, mutagenic power and potential of reduction of synthesized 5-nitroimidazole were assayed. The anti-infective properties of these novel 5-nitroimidazole are currently under investigation.

No description available.

CO2 fixation is a thermodynamically and kinetically challenging process, but nature has its own way of transforming CO2 into diverse organic molecules. Of our particular interest is 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (OFOR) that catalyzes the anaerobic, reversible inter-conversion of 2-oxoacids and CO2, making use of a small electron-transfer protein, ferredoxin (Fd), as the redox partner. This dissertation characterizes OFORs and Fds from organisms that exhibit different metabolic patterns and investigates how the interplay of OFOR and Fd could impact the fate of CO2 metabolism, asking the question What controls the catalytic bias of OFOR for CO2 evolution versus fixation? The study of OFORs and Fds from Desulfovibrio africanus and Hydrogenobacter thermophilus through an electrocatalytic assay reveals that the reduction potential of Fd is possibly associated with the biological function of OFOR and that CO2 fixation requires a low-potential electron donor. The Fd from H. thermophilus (HtFd1) is used as a model to probe the factors that govern iron-sulfur cluster potential. The dependence of OFOR activity on Fd potential is systematically studied with HtFd1 and its molecular variants through the electrocatalytic assay and a coupled enzyme assay. The results suggest there is a Fd “potential optimum” for OFOR-catalyzed CO2 fixation. The study of a 2-oxoglutarate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (OGOR) and three Fds from Magnetococcus marinus MC-1 further highlights other factors such as the intramolecular electron-transfer within Fd and the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions at the protein-protein interface in determining OFOR-Fd interaction. The characterization of an OGOR from M. marinus MC-1 (MmOGOR) also provides kinetic, structural and spectroscopic details for a CO2-fixing OFOR that contains only one iron-sulfur cluster. Overall, this work furthers the scientific understanding of how nature achieves CO2 fixation through supplying reducing equivalents and with enzymes as efficient catalysts, and how intermolecular electron-transfer mediated by protein-protein interaction could regulate enzyme catalysis. / 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

Arylsubstituierte Cycloheptatriene unterscheiden sich in ihrer Lichtabsorption, Molekülgeometrie und Elektronen- Donatorstärke gravierend von den korrespondierenden Aryltropyliumionen. Die Änderung der elektronischen Eigenschaften bei der Umwandlung der Arylcycloheptatrien- in die Aryltropyliumspezies ist daher potentiell nutzbar, um nichtkovalente Bindungskräfte in supramolekularen Einheiten mit Cycloheptatrienbausteinen zu beeinflussen. Licht stellt als ein energetisch und mit hoher örtlicher Auflösung selektiv anwendbares Reagenz ein besonders interessantes Werkzeug für die Verwirklichung solcher Schaltprozesse dar. Dies setzt jedoch Kenntnisse über photochemische Methoden der Erzeugung und Reduktion von Aryltropyliumionen und Einblicke in die Reaktionsmechanismen voraus. Die lichtinduzierte Generierung von stabilen Aryltropyliumionen wurde auf verschiedenen Wegen unter Nutzu ng zweier Klassen von Cycloheptatrienderivaten, der Arylcycloheptatriene und der Arylbicycloheptatriene, erreicht. Detaillierte Studien des Redoxverhaltens der Modellverbindungen wurden mit Hilfe von Stationärphotolysen, elektrochemischen Untersuchungen sowie durch Detektion von Intermediaten mittels ESR- und zeitaufgelöster Absorptionsspektroskopie angefertigt. Demnach erfordert die unter formalem Hydridtransfer verlaufende Photooxidation der Arylcycloheptatriene zu den korrespondierenden Aryltropyliumionen den Ablauf einer Sequenz aus photoinduziertem Elektronentransfer (PET), Deprotonierung der Cycloheptatrienradikalkationen und Grund zustandsoxidation der resultierenden Cycloheptatrienylradikale. Während die Energiebilanz des PET selbst in Gegenwart schwacher Elektronenakzeptoren stark negativ ist, bestimmt die Natur der Arylsubstituenten den weiteren Reaktionsverlauf. Entscheidend ist einerseits, daß die Deprotonierung der Arylcycloheptatrienradikalkationen mit dem thermodynamisch begünstigten Rückelektronentransfer (BET) konkurrieren kann und andererseits, daß die durch Deprotonierung gebildeten Arylcycloheptatrienylradikale im Grundzustand durch den verwendeten Akzeptor oxidiert werden. Eine hinsichtlich der Produkt- und Quantenausbeuten sehr effiziente Methode stellt die sensibilisierte Photooxidation in Gegenwart sehr starker Grundzustandselektronenakzeptoren, wie etwa Triplettsauerstoff oder Benzochinon, dar. Die Aktivierung der Arylbicycloheptatriene kann via PET oder durch photochemische Homolyse der zentralen C-C-Bindung erfolgen. Die im ersten Fall gebildeten Bicycloheptatrienradikalkationen fragmentieren mit hoher Geschwindigkeit unter Bildung eines Tropyliumions und eines Cycloheptatrienylradikals. Unabhängig von der Art der Photoreaktion stellt somit die Grundzustandsoxidation der Cycloheptatrienylradikale den Schlüsselschritt auf dem Wege der Generierung der Aryltropyliumionen dar. Mit Hilfe starker Akzeptoren, z.B. N-Methyl-acridiniumperchlorat oder weniger stabilisierten Tropyliumionen, lassen sich die Arylbicycloheptatriene oxidieren. Die Photoreduktion der Aryltropyliumionen ist in Gegenwart von Hydrid- und Zweielektronendonatoren möglich. Entgegen den Erwartungen werden auch in Gegenwart der Hydriddonatoren die Arylbicycloheptatriene erhalten. Als Grund hierfür kann das Ausbleiben der Protonierung der intermediär gebildeten Arylcycloheptatrienylradikale angesehen werden. Prinzipiell ist daher ein photochemisches Schalten zwischen den Redoxpartnern Aryltropyliumion und Arylbicycloheptatrien möglich. Ein Beispiel hierfür stellt das System N- Methyl- acridiniumion/Bis(4-Dimethylamino-phenyl) bicycloheptatrien bzw. 4-Dimethylamino- phenyltropyliumion/ 10,10'-Dimethyl-9,9'- tetrahydrobiacridinyl dar. Die Richtung der photochemisch induzierten Redoxreaktion (Oxidation des Arylbicycloheptatriens bzw. Reduktion des Tropyliumsalzes) wird hierbei bestimmt durch die Konzentrationsverhältnisse der Reaktanden. Aufgrund dieser Ergebnisse stellt die vorliegende Arbeit eine Basis für künftige Untersuchungen von lichtinduzierten Schaltprozessen in supramolekularen Aggregaten dar. / Compared with their corresponding tropylium ions, arylsubstituted cycloheptatrienes possess quite different behaviour in light absorption, shape and electronic donor strength. Therefore, those redox couples are useful candidates for influencing non-covalent bonding within supramolecular units, containing cycloheptatriene building blocks. The tool light was chosen due to its characteristics such as high energetic selectivity and even high optical resolution, to reach this goal. The planned light driven switching requires new photochemical methods of generation and reduction of the aryltropylium ions as well as insight in their mechanistic details. The photochemical formation of stable aryltropylium ions has been reached on different pathways using two classes of cycloheptatriene derivativs, the arylcycloheptatrienes and the arylbitropyls, respectively. The redox behaviour of the model compounds was subject of detailed studies by means of stationary photolysis and electrochemical measurements. The EPR and the time resolved absorption spectroscopy have been utilized to get further information about the electronic structure and reactivity of short-living species involved in the phototransformation. Accordingly, the photooxidation of arylcycloheptatrienes is possible in a sequence consisting of photoinduced electron transfer (PET), followed by deprotonation of the cycloheptatriene radical cations and subsequent oxidation of the resulting cycloheptatriene type radicals in the ground state (overall hydride transfer). Due to the fast PET, even in the presence of weak electron acceptors, the success of the reaction course depends on the nature of the aryl substituents. On one hand, the deprotonation step has to compete with the energetically favoured back electron transfer (BET). On the other hand, the used acceptors must be able to oxidize the cycloheptatrienyl type radicals. With regard to chemical and quantum yields, t he most efficient procedure is the sensitized photooxidation in the presence of strong ground state oxidants, such as dioxygen or benzoquinone. The photochemical activation of the arylbitropyls is either possible via PET or by homolytic cleavage of the central C-C-bond (direct excitation). The bitropyl radical cations resulting from the PET are subjected to a fast fragmentation process yielding tropylium ions and cycloheptatriene type radicals.Therefore, the ground state oxidation of the latter is the key-step in the photooxidation of arylbitropyls. Acco rdingly, strong acceptors such as acridinium ions or even weaker stabilized tropylium ions are capable to transform the bitropyls into tropylium ions. The photoreduction of the aryl tropylium ions can be achieved by using hydride or two electron donors. It is noteworthy that the arylbitropyls are the photo-products even in the presence of hydride donors. Evidently, this effect is caused by the impossible proton transfer between the donor radical cations and the cycloheptatriene type radicals. Therefore, the light induced switching is possible in the redox couple arylbitropyl and aryl tropylium ion. The system N-methylacridinium ion /bis (4-dimethylaminophenyl)bitropyl and 10,10'-dimethyl-9,9'-tetrahydrobiacridinyl / 4-dimethylaminophenyl tropylium ion should be announced in this context. Hereby, the direction of this photoinduced redox reaction (oxidation of the bitropyl or reduction of the tropylium ion) depends on the concentrations of the reactands. The present work should be understand as a basis for future research dealing with light driven molecular machines.

Nous avons cherché dans ce travail à élaborer un biofilm artificiel électroactif dans le but de promouvoir les réactions de transfert extracellulaire d’électrons (EET) en reconstituant artificiellement un biofilm en présence de matériaux exogènes. Un matériau composite auto-assemblé constitué de cellules bactériennes (Shewanella oneidensis), de nanotubes de carbone et de cytochromes c exogènes (issue de cellules de cœur de bœuf) a été tout d’abord proposé. Le processus d’auto-assemblage a été étudié par diffusion de lumière dynamique, microscopie électronique à balayage et spectroscopie Raman. Ces analyses ont mis en évidence l’importance du cytochrome exogène dans l’assemblage et l’organisation du matériau. La viabilité bactérienne a été étudiée et l’activité métabolique a été caractérisée par électrochimie. Les courants à l’anode étaient 10 et 4 fois plus importants avec ce biofilm artificiel (0,027 A m-2) qu’avec les électrodes modifiées par les bactéries seules (0,003 A m-2) ou associées au cytochrome c (0,007 A m-2). Le biofilm artificiel a été testé en substituant S. oneidensis par Pseudomonas fluorescens, produisant un courant d’oxydation lors de l’ajout de 1,5 mM de glucose. Le cytochrome c possède, outre son rôle structurant, une activité de navette à électrons. Son potentiel redox, 254 mV (vs NHE), était adapté à l’oxydation du formiate mais inadapté à la réduction du fumarate. Pour cette raison, il a été substitué par d’autres cytochromes (c3DvH, c7Da, c553DvH, c3DdN ou c3Dg) possédant des potentiels redox plus bas, de 20 mV à -400 mV. Ces cytochromes variaient aussi au niveau de leur charge à pH neutre, permettant de valider l’importance des forces électrostatiques dans l’assemblage du biocomposite. Les résultats optimaux obtenus avec c3DvH et c7Da ont montré l’importance du potentiel redox des éléments exogènes pour l’EET. Nous avons ensuite remplacé le cytochrome c par la protamine. Cette protéine non électroactive a permis l’assemblage du biocomposite tout en maintenant les transferts directs d’électrons entre les bactéries et les différents nanomatériaux testés. Les optimisations ont permis d’atteindre des courants cathodiques de plus de 12 A m-2 en présence de 50 mM de fumarate. Les expériences de stabilité ont montré la présence d’un courant biotique de 1,75 A m-2 après 24 h de réduction de 50 mM de fumarate / The aim of this PhD work was to design an artificial electroactive biofilm in order to optimize extracellular electron transfers (EET) by artificially reconstituting the biofilm in the presence of exogenous materials. A biocomposite material was proposed from the self-assembly of the bacteria Shewanella oneidensis with carbon nanotubes and cytochrome c (extract from bovine heart). The self-assembly was first studied by diffusion light scattering, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. These analyzes showed the importance of the cytochrome c in the assembly and organization of the biocomposite. Bacterial viability was studied and metabolic activity was characterized with the help of electrochemistry. The current at the anode was 10 and 4 times higher with the artificial biofilm (0.027 A m2) than with film composed with bacteria alone (0.003 A m2) or associated with cytochrome c (0.007 A m2). Artificial biofilm was also tested with Pseudomonas fluorescens instead of S. oneidensis, producing an oxidative current upon the addition of 1.5 mM glucose. That indicates cytochrome c has, in addition to its structuring role, an electron shuttle activity. Its redox potential, +254 mV (vs. NHE), was adapted to the oxidation of formate but was unsuitable for the reduction of fumarate. For this reason, it has been substituted by other cytochromes, c3DvH, c7Da, c553DvH, c3DdN, and c3Dg, possessing lower redox potentials, in the range of 20 mV to -400 mV. These cytochromes also varied at the level of their charge at neutral pH and allowed to validate the importance of the electrostatic forces in the assembly of the biocomposite. The optimal results obtained with c3DvH and c7Da showed the importance of the redox potential of the exogenous elements for the EET. We then replaced the cytochrome c with protamine. This non-electroactive protein allowed the assembly of the biocomposite by promoting direct electrons transfer between the bacteria and the different nanomaterials tested. The optimizations made it possible to reach cathodic currents of more than 12 A m2 in the presence of 50 mM of fumarate. The stability experiments showed the presence of a biotic current of 1.75 A m2 after 24 h of reduction of 50 mM of fumarate

Guanine is generally accepted as the most easily oxidized DNA base when cells are subjected to ionizing radiation, photoionization or photosensitization. At pH 7, the midpoint reduction potential is on the order of 0.2 – 0.3 V higher than those of the radicals of e.g. tyrosine, tryptophan cysteine and histidine, so that the radical “repair” (or at least, a thermodynamically favorable reaction) involving these amino acids is feasible. Computational quantum studies have been done on tyrosine, tryptophan, cysteine and histidine side chains as they appear in histones. Density functional theory was employed using B3LYP/6-31G+ (d, p) basis set to study spin densities on these amino acids side chains as they pair with the guanine radical cation. The amino acid side chains are positioned so as not to disrupt the Watson-Crick base pairing. Our results indicate that, these side chains of amino acid with reducing properties can repair guanine radical cation through electron transfer coupled with proton transfer.

<p>Artificial systems involving water oxidation and solar cells are promising ways for the conversion of solar energy into fuels and electricity. These systems usually consist of a photosensitizer, an electron donor and / or an electron acceptor. This thesis deals with the synthesis and photoinduced electron transfer of several donor-sensitizer-acceptor supramolecular systems.</p><p>The first part of this thesis describes the synthesis and properties of two novel dinuclear ruthenium complexes as electron donors to mimic the donor side reaction of Photosystem II. These two Ru₂ complexes were then covalently linked to ruthenium trisbipyridine and the properties of the resulting trinuclear complexes were studied by cyclic voltammetry and transient absorption spectroscopy.</p><p>The second part presents the synthesis and photoinduced electron transfer of covalently linked donor-sensitizer supramolecular systems in the presence of TiO₂ as electron acceptors. Electron donors are tyrosine, phenol and their derivatives, and dinuclear ruthenium complexes. Intramolecular electron transfer from the donor to the oxidized sensitizer was observed by transient absorption spectroscopy after light excitation of the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ moiety. The potential applications of Ru₂-based electron donors in artificial systems for water oxidation and solar cells are discussed.</p><p>In the final part, the photoinduced interfacial electron transfer in the systems based on carotenoids and TiO₂ is studied. Carotenoids are shown to act as both sensitizers and electron donors, which could be used in artificial systems to mimic the electron transfer chain in natural photosynthesis.</p>

<p>This thesis presents briefly the application of quantum mechanics on systems ofchemical interest, i.e., the field of quantum chemistry and computational chemistry.The molecules of the ten-electron series, hydrogen fluoride, water, ammonia,methane and neon, are taken as computational examples. Some applications ofquantum chemistry are then shown on these systems, with emphasis on the natureof the molecular bonds. Conceptual methods of chemistry and theoreticalchemistry for these systems are shown to be valid with some restrictions, as theseinterpretations does not represent physically measurable entities.The orbitals and orbital energies of neon is studied, the binding van der Waalsinteractionresulting in a Ne2 molecule is studied with a theoretical bond lengthof 3.23 °A and dissociation energy of 81.75 μEh. The equilibrium geometries ofFH, H2O, NH3 and CH4 are studied and the strength and character of the bondsinvolved evaluated using bond order, dipole moment, Mulliken population analysisand L¨owdin population analysis. The concept of electronegativity is studied in thecontext of electron transfer. Lastly, the barrier of inversion for NH3 is studied, withan obtained barrier height of 8.46 mEh and relatively constant electron transfer.</p>