A structural chemist's entanglement with Gillespie's theories of molecular geometry

An account of Ronald Gillespie's 40-year-old approach to the understanding of molecular structure is presented from the point of view of its influence on the research of the author, a structural chemist. In addition, a review is given of some of the background of structural chemistry that led to Gillespie's recent reformulation of ideas about molecular geometry. His well-known valence shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory has changed the way structural chemistry is taught. His current research program on ligand close-packing and atomic charges promises to revise the way chemists think about the nature of the chemical bond. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.