Resumen de Teaching the Jahn-Teller Theorem: A Simple Exercise That Illustrates How the Magnitude of Distortion Depends on the Number of Electrons and Their Occupation of the Degenerate Energy Level
Teaching the Jahn-Teller theorem offers several challenges. For many students, the first encounter comes in coordination chemistry, which can be difficult due to the already complicated nature of transition-metal complexes. Moreover, a deep understanding of the Jahn-Teller theorem requires that one is well acquainted with quantum mechanics and group theory. A comparatively simple way to illustrate the anatomy of the Jahn-Teller effect is presented here. Chemistry teachers are reminded of a sometimes forgotten aspect, namely, that the orbital degeneracy itself is not a sufficient criterion for the Jahn-Teller effect to appear, it is necessary that the occupation of the degenerate energy level is asymmetric. The article can serve as an introduction to the Jahn-Teller theorem, either as a lecture or as a computational exercise.
