Everything in the world is made of atoms, and all atoms are connected by bonds—but what exactly are bonds, and how do they hold things together? Scientists have contemplated this throughout the 20th century, and two major theories have emerged from their musings: valence bond theory and molecular orbital theory. In this episode, we uncover how these theories rose as one of the first applications of quantum mechanics, opening in chemistry and physics a new area of study, as well as how they began a century-long feud yet to be resolved. 

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