Basic Concepts Of Charge Density Analysis. Philip Coppens, Chemistry Department, State University Of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000.

As methods for X-ray charge density analysis have expanded during the last three decades a special lingo has been adopted, which can be found in articles, program manuals and heard at scientific conferences. This talk will discuss the language in use in the charge density field. The interplay of Fourier and least squares methods in the analysis, and the use of both difference and total densities in the interpretation will be described. The extraction of information of physical and chemical significance, including orbital populations, dipole and higher moments, and electric field gradients is one of the prime objectives, which often allows comparison with results from other experimental and theoretical methods.