Optical spectra and chemical bonding in inorganic compounds

Axel Christian Klixbüll Jørgensen was a “Polyhistor”, one of the very few in the highly specialized science of our time. His interests and contributions in ch- istry covered the whole Periodic Table. This statement demonstrates the breadth of his interests, however, it also sheds light on the constraints of chemistry which deals with a large, yet limited number of elements. It is not surprising that Jørgensen went beyond these limits, exploring the probable or plausible ch- istry of yet unknown elements and elementary particles such as quarks. Even chemistry itself did not place rigid limits on his mind, he was able to transfer his chemical concepts to scientific problems far beyond the normal such as in astrophysics. “Structure and Bonding” is intimately associated with the name C. K. J- gensen both as initiator and author over several decades. The appearance of a special edition in memory of this great scientist is a self-evident prolongation of his many contributions to the success of this series.