Abstract
We present a simple proof of the stability of the hydrogen molecule
(
M
+
M
+
m
−
m
−
)
. It does not rely on the proton-to-electron mass ratio
M/m
being very large, and actually holds for arbitrary values of
M/m
. Some asymmetric molecules of the type
(
m
+
1
m
+
2
m
−
3
m
−
4
)
are also stable. Possible applications to molecules containing antiparticles and to exotic hadrons in the quark model are briefly outlined. Revtex Version 3.0, 4 Figures available on request by Fax or Mail.