Chemical Bonding - Wave function

[Nusc]

https://ps.uci.edu/~cyu/p224/LectureNotes/lecture7/lecture7html/

Does NaCl have a wavefunction?

If so, is it entangled?

 

[BvU]

Any context for this question ? Did you google 'Born-Haber cycle for NaCl' ?

This kind of bonding is bluntly described by simply taking the outer electron out of the Na and propping it into the Cl

What would be entangled ?

 

[Nusc]

It ties in with this thread:

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/wave-functions-of-molecules.189480/

Is Sodium entangled with Chlorine in a F-center lattice?

 

[BvU]

Not as far as I know. We treat the ions as independent charged spheres.
You use the term 'entangled' -- what, precisely, do you mean with that ?

 

[TeethWhitener]

Does NaCl have a wavefunction?

Yes.

If so, is it entangled?

The electrons in a multielectron system like an atom, molecule, or crystal are (almost?) always entangled, but not really in any way that's useful for us. A more interesting question might be if you can decompose the wavefunction into "Na electrons" and "Cl electrons:"
$$|\Psi\rangle_{NaCl} = |\psi \rangle_{Na^+}\otimes |\psi\rangle_{Cl^-}$$
That is, are the "Na electrons" entangled with the "Cl electrons." I don't know. Probably not very, given that the simple electrostatic description that @BvU gave is a very good approximation.

F-center lattice?

An F-center is a defect in a lattice. In NaCl, it would arise as a Cl^- vacancy which is filled by an electron. It would probably be easier to control the entanglement of two F-centers than anything else in the NaCl lattice, but a quick google search didn't bring anything up for me. (I'm imagining entangling the spins of the F-centers like you would the spins of NV centers in diamonds.) There may be a reason why this isn't feasible in practice.