The historical development of the electronic configuration model is traced and the status of the model with respect to quantum mechanics is examined. The successes and problems raised by the model are explored, particularly in chemical ab initio calculations. The relevance of these issues to whether chemistry has been reduced to quantum mechanics is discussed, as are some general notions on reduction.

In our paper we propose a philosophicalanalysis, based on the notion ofphenomenological model, of Nuclear Physics. Inthis way, we will show some peculiarities ofthis branch of physics.