Chemists make sense of the world with the aid of a variety
of models, which may be pictorial, verbal, or mathematical. We
develop criteria for useful models and describe in general terms
several prevalent models widely used in chemistry. These include
the structural formula ; classical and staitistical thermodynamics;
and a variety of bonding models. Finally, we describe the possibilities
and potential advantages of encoding the chemist\u27s essentially
non - numerical conceptual models of bonding as computer
programs according to the methods of Artificial Intelligence research
