L'evoluzione del concetto di legame chimico alla luce dell'evoluzione della disciplina chimica

The notion of bonding is obviously foundational to chemistry, which is based on a particle description of matter: the interaction between material particles is the basis for the description of all phenomena of chemical interest. However, it often happens that the conceptual foundations of a discipline are taken for granted and are no longer considered a subject of discussion. This paper offers a reflection on the concept of bonding and its evolution, starting from the thesis that—beyond the undeniable historical development that has led to the elaboration of various bonding models—the concept itself of chemical bonding has evolved over time. The disciplinary evolution of chemistry (e.g., the emergence of supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology) has in fact led to a semantic broadening of the term bond in chemistry, suggesting that the qualification of chemical bond, traditionally attributed to covalent bonds or, more generally, to primary bonds (covalent, ionic, metallic) should be extended to include weak interactions when these mediate chemical information