Primitive Gaussian Type Orbital

Figure 2.2. Radial dependence of basis functions a) correct exponential decay (STO) (b) primitive Gaussian-type function (solid line) vs. an STO (dotted line) (c) least-squares expansion of the STO in terms of three Gaussian-type orbitals (STO-3G).

The molecular electron density function needed for EP calculation can be obtained through ab initio as well as various semi-empirical methods. Since ab initio calculations are not economical for large molecules (several hundred atoms), the use of well-parameterized semi-empirical methods are still justified. When semi-empirical methods are used the three-center potential integrals usually disappear, and therefore the electronic contribution can be easily calculated by Slater-type orbitals. In ab initio methods (primitive or contracted) Gaussian-type orbitals are used for calculating the three-center integrals because their calculations are clumsy with Slater-type orbitals. 

The efficiency of sets of Gaussian-type functions can be increased, particularly in the parametrization of core molecular orbitals, by employing contracted Gaussian-type functions instead of the primitive Gaussian-type functions discussed in the preceding subsectioa Contracted Gaussian-type functions are defined as... 

The exponent a determines the size of the orbital, and standard values have been determined for the different orbitals on the different atoms. Gaussian-type orbitals such as those shown in equations 9 and 10 are caWedprimitive Gaussians. Contracted Gaussians are also used, and these consist of linear combinations of primitive Gaussians ... 

Although the Gaussian-type orbitals (contracted or not) are not atomic orbitals but just basis functions, one still keeps the nomenclature and distinguishes between valence orbitals, which are meant to describe the electrons in the outermost shell, e.g. the 2s and 2p electrons in carbon or the Is electron in hydrogen, and core orbitals, which are meant to describe the inner electrons, e.g. the Is electrons in carbon. If each core and valence orbital of an atom is represented by a single primitive or contracted GTO one speaks of a minimal basis set. 

The essential features of this approach is this. Let each unit cell be divided into molecules (real ones or not), and we devise a basis set to represent the MO s of these molecules. The primitive basis set used are spherical-harmonic Gaussian Type Orbitals (GTO s) centered about different origins, and have the form... 

The remainder of the input file gives the basis set. The line, 1 0, specifies the atom center 1 (the only atom in this case) and is terminated by 0. The next line contains a shell type, S for the Is orbital, tells the system that there is 1 primitive Gaussian, and gives the scale factor as 1.0 (unsealed). The next line gives Y = 0.282942 for the Gaussian function and a contiaction coefficient. This is the value of Y, the Gaussian exponential parameter that we found in Computer Project 6-1, Part B. [The precise value for y comes from the closed solution for this problem S/Oir (McWeeny, 1979).] There is only one function, so the contiaction coefficient is 1.0. The line of asterisks tells the system that the input is complete. 

Minimal basis sets use fixed-size atomic-type orbitals. The STO-3G basis set is a minimal basis set (although it is not the smallest possible basis set). It uses three gaussian primitives per basis function, which accounts for the 3G in its name. STO stands for Slater-type orbitals, and the STO-3G basis set approximates Slater orbitals with gaussian functions. ... 

The next step was to represent each Slater atomic orbital as a fixed linear combination of Gaussian orbitals so a Slater-type orbital with exponent f is written as a sum of GTOs with exponents a, q 2, and so on. For example, in the case of three primitive GTOs we might write... 

The correct limiting radial behavior of the hydrogen-like atom orbital is as a simple exponential, as in (A.62). Orbitals based on this radial dependence are called Slater-type orbitals (STOs). Gaussian functions are rounded at the nucleus and decrease faster than desirable (Figure 2.2b). Therefore, the actual basis functions are constructed by taking fixed linear combinations of the primitive Gaussian functions in such a way as to mimic exponential behavior, that is, resemble atomic orbitals. Thus... 

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