SOFT CHEMISTRY AND REVERSIBLE ION STORAGE - THE UNDERLYING ATOMIC PHYSICS

New principles underlying soft chemistry at the atomic level are descr ibed: emphasis is put on the properties of the radial equation, and on large differences in response of different atoms according to their l ocation with respect to the transition sequences. Semiclassical models of orbital collapse are described and it is shown, by solving the Har tree-Fock equations inside a hard cavity, that atoms can become anomal ously soft in the transition sequences. From our quasi atomic model, w e infer that soft radial chemistry is viable, and are able to describe observed features of the ion storage process within a conceptually si mple scheme.