Hund, Friedrich

Friedrich Hund, in full Friedrich Hermann Hund, (born February 4, 1896, Karlsruhe, Germany—died March 31, 1997, Karlsruhe), German physicist known for his work on the electronic structure of atoms and molecules. He helped introduce the method of using molecular orbitals to determine the electronic structure of molecules and chemical bond formation.

Hund taught and did research at German universities (Rostock, Leipzig, Jena, Frankfurt am Main, and Göttingen) exclusively, except for one year spent as a visiting lecturer at Harvard University. His publications include Einführung in die theoretische Physik, 5 vol. (1945–50; “Introduction to Theoretical Physics”), Theoretische Physik, 3 vol. (1956–63), Theorie des Aufbaues der Materie (1961; “Theory of the Structure of Matter”), Grundbegriffe der Physik (1969; “Fundamental Principles of Physics”), and Geschichte der physikal Begriffe (1972; “History of Physics Terminology”).