Multipole moment expansion solvent distributed multipoles

The charge distribution of the molecule can be represented either as atom-centred partial charges or as a multipole expansion. For a neutral molecule, the lowest order approximation considers only the dipole moment. This may be a quite poor approximation, and fails completely for symmetric molecules that do not have a dipole moment. For obtaining converged results, it is often necessarily to extend the expansion up to order six or more, i.e. including dipole, quadrupole, octupole, etc., moments. Furthermore, only for small and symmetric molecules can the approximation of a spherical or ellipsoidal cavity be considered realistic. The use of the Bom/ Onsager/Kirkwood models should therefore only be considered as a rough estimate of the solvent effects, and quantitative results can rarely be obtained. 

Methods based on multipole expansion The simplest versions of these methods rely on the use of spherical cavities and in the truncation of the multipole expansion at the monopole or dipole level. These methods correspond to the well known models of Born [35] and Bell-Onsager [36,37], whose expressions are given in equations 11 and 12, where q is the charge representing the solute charge distribution, p. is the dipole moment, e is the permittivity and R is the radius of the cavity defining the solute/solvent interface. 

The earlier attempt to approach the electrostatic contribution to the free energy of solvation is due to Kirkwood (1934). This model is based on a multipole expansion of the charge distribution of the solute at the center of a spherical cavity surroimded by a continuum represented by the dielectric permittivity of the solvent. When this expansion is limited to rank 1 which corresponds to a pure dipole fi, one finds the Onsager model (Onsager 1936) in which the electrostatic contribution to the free energy of solvation by a solvent of dielectric constant e of a molecule having a dipole moment in a cavity of radius a takes the expression ... 

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