Igor G. Zenkevich

Recurrent Relationships as an Important Class of Mathematical Objects in Chemistry

The unique potential and different areas of applications of recurrent (synonymous: recursive) relationships in chemistry and chromatography are considered. Recurrent relations can be used in two forms: as functions of integer arguments, y(x + 1) = ay(x) + b, and as functions of equidistant argument values, A(x + x) = aA(x) + b, x = const. The first form is applicable to all physicochemical properties of homologs in organic chemistry, because the number of carbon (and other) atoms in a molecule can be integer only. The second one applies to chemical variables depending on temperature, pressure, concentrations, etc., when the chemists should provide equal “steps” of their variations.