Fock theory

Mciny of the theories used in molecular modelling involve multiple integrals. Examples include tire two-electron integrals formd in Hartree-Fock theory, and the integral over the piriitii >ns and momenta used to define the partition function, Q. In fact, most of the multiple integrals that have to be evaluated are double integrals. 

Linear Combination of Atomic Orbitals (LCAO) in Hartree-Fock Theory... 

Several functional forms have been investigated for the basis functions Given the vast experience of using Gaussian functions in Hartree-Fock theory it will come as no surprise to learn that such functions have also been employed in density functional theory. However, these are not the only possibility Slater type orbitals are also used, as are numerical... 

The Dirac equation can be readily adapted to the description of one electron in the held of the other electrons (Hartree-Fock theory). This is called a Dirac-Fock or Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) calculation. 

Recently, a third class of electronic structure methods have come into wide use density functional methods. These DFT methods are similar to ab initio methods in many ways. DFT calculations require about the same amount of computation resources as Hartree-Fock theory, the least expensive ab initio method. 

Reproducing the exact solution for the relevant n-electron problem a method ought to yield the same results as the exact solution to the Schrodinger equation to the greatest extent possible. What this means specifically depends on the theory underlying the method. Thus, Hartree-Fock theory should be (and is) able to reproduce the exact solution to the one electron problem, meaning it should be able to treat cases like HeH ... 

The first cell in the last tow of the table represents the Hartree-Fock limit the best approximation that can be achieved without taking electron correlation into account. Its location on the chart is rather far from the exact solution. Although in some cases, quite good results can be achieved with Hartree-Fock theory alone, in many others, its performance ranges from orfly fair to quite poor. We ll look at some these cases in Chapters 5 and 6. 

Diffuse functions have very little effect on the optimized structure of methanol but do significantly affect the bond angles in negatively charged methoxide anion. We can conclude that they are required to produce an accurate structure for the anion by comparing the two calculated geometries to that predicted by Hartree-Fock theory at a very large basis set (which should eliminate basis set effects). 

As we have seen throughout this book, the Hartree-Fock method provides a reasonable model for a wide range of problems and molecular systems. However, Hartree-Fock theory also has limitations. They arise principally from the fact that Hartree-Fock theory does not include a full treatment of the effects of electron correlation the energy contributions arising from electrons interacting with one another. For systems and situations where such effects are important, Hartree-Fock results may not be satisfactory. The theory and methodology underlying electron correlation is discussed in Appendix A. 

Hartree-Fock theory is very useful for providing initial, first-level predictions for many systems. It is also reasonably good at computing the structures and vibrational frequencies of stable molecules and some transition states. As such, it is a good base-level theory. However, its neglect of electron correlation makes it unsuitable for some purposes. For example, it is insufficient for accurate modeling of the energetics of reactions and bond dissociation. 

In the last few years, methods based on Density Functional Theory have gained steadily in popularity. The best DFT methods achieve significantly greater accuracy than Harttee-Fock theory at only a modest increase in cost (far less than MP2 for medium-size and larger molecular systems). They do so by including some of the effects of electron correlation much less expensively than traditional correlated methods. 

When we consider the predicted atomization energy, however, we see vast differences among the functionals. Like Hartree-Fock theory, the SVWN and SVWN5 functionals are completely inadequate for predicting this system s atomization energy (which is not an atypical result). The BLYP value is also quite poor. 

The DFT and MP2 calculations produce very similar structures, although the BLYP bond length is again longer than those of the other functionals. Hartree-Fock theory predicts a bond length which is significantly shorter than the methods including electron correlation. 

These SVWN5 results are somewhat fortuitous. Be careful not to overgeneralize from their agreement to experiment. We will see a different result in Exercise 6.7. Several other excerises will also include comparisons of DFT methods to Hartree-Fock theory, MP2 and other electron correlation methods. 

Hartree-Fock theory does quite a poor job of predicting the structures and frequencies for these compounds. It produces highly distorted structures in all three cases, and its computed frequencies bear little resemblance to the experimental observations. MP2 theory generally does better for the structures, although it fails to located a distorted structure for Na F3. The frequencies computed at the MP2 level also vary widely from experiment. 

The UHF curve is much higher than those for the correlation methods Hartree-Fock theory does a relatively poor job of describing this process. The MP2 curve is somewhat higher than those for the MP3 and MP4(SDTQ) levels, which appear to have converged. 

The Hartree-Fock values range firom good to quite poor. For the first reaction, cancellation of errors allows Hartree-Fock theory to predict a good value for AH (it overestimates the energies for both ethane and acetone, and underestimates the one for acetaldehyde). 

AMI benefits from the same cancellation of errors for the first reaaion as Hartree-Fock theory. However, it performs even more poorly for the other two reactions. ... 

Like Hartree-Fock theory, Cl-Singles is an inexpensive method that can be applied to large systems. When paired with a basis set, it also may be used to define excited state model chemistries whose results may be compared across the full range of practical systems. 

Despite these comparisons to Hartree-Fock theory, the O-Singles method does include some electron correlation. 

Note that the frequency calculation produces many more frequencies than those listed here. We ve matched calculated frequenices to experimental frequencies using symmetry types and analyzing the normal mode displacements. The agreement with experiment is generally good, and follows what might be expected of Hartree-Fock theory in the ground state. ... 

The problem has now become how to solve for the set of molecular orbital expansion coefficients, c. . Hartree-Fock theory takes advantage of the variational principle, which says that for the ground state of any antisymmetric normalized function of the electronic coordinates, which we will denote H, then the expectation value for the energy corresponding to E will always be greater than the energy for the exact wave function ... 

As we ve noted several times, Hartree-Fock theory provides an inadequate treatment of the correlation between the motions of the electrons within a molecular system, especially that arising between electrons of opposite spin. 

When Hartree-Fock theory fulfills the requirement that 4 be invarient with respect to the exchange of any two electrons by antisymmetrizing the wavefunction, it automatically includes the major correlation effects arising from pairs of electrons with the same spin. This correlation is termed exchange correlation. The motion of electrons of opposite spin remains uncorrelated under Hartree-Fock theory, however. 

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