NOTATIONS AND CONVENTIONS IN MOLECULAR-SPECTROSCOPY .2. SYMMETRY NOTATION

The field of Molecular Spectroscopy was surveyed in order to determine a set of conventions and symbols which are in common use in the spect roscopic literature. This document, which is Part 2 in a series, estab lishes the notations and conventions used for the description of symme try, in rigid molecules, using the Schoenflies notation. It deals firs tly with the symmetry operators of the molecular point groups (also dr awing attention to the difference between symmetry operators and eleme nts). The conventions and notations of the molecular point groups are then established, followed by those of the representations of these gr oups as used in molecular spectroscopy. Further parts will follow, dea ling inter alia with permutation and permutation-inversion symmetry no tation, vibration-rotation spectroscopy and electronic spectroscopy.