This was a really great article, both using thermodynamics and inorganic chemistry. If you're interested in more theoretical applications of symmetry (or, in it

This was a really great article, both using thermodynamics and inorganic chemistry. If you're interested in more theoretical applications of symmetry (or, in its proper mathematical formalism, group theory) to chemical systems, a good starting point is the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_symmetry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_symmetry. Basically, just by using symmetry considerations, you can determine properties about the spectra, etc of various molecules. If you really want to learn about all the nitty-gritty, involving lots of matrix algebra, quantum mechancs, and the whole shebang, you might be interested in the book "Chemical Applications of Group Theory", by F. Albert Cotton.