USE OF JAVASCRIPT IN SIMPLE QUANTUM-CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

The JavaScript scripting language is a simple way of adding interactiv e functionality to HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) pages. In this pa per we present the use of JavaScript in two sample quantum-chemical ap plications, destined primarily for educational purposes. Examples are given in which students are able to enter data and invoke calculations using JavaScript scripts via forms-based interfaces, and follow links to outlines of the theory involved, key equations, and to other pages on the World Wide Web. The performance and potential of interactive s cripts in these and wider quantum-chemical applications is discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.