Bound electronic states of HCl−

Abstract

This paper reports ab initio Born–Oppenheimer calculations on the X 1Σ state of HCl and on the 1 2Σ, 2 2Σ, and 2Π states of HCl− for internuclear distances at which these states are electronically bound. The calculations employed square-integrable configuration interaction wave functions which included all single and double replacements from multiconfiguration reference functions. The MC-SCF reference configurations and the Gaussian atomic basis encompass the dominant effects which govern the electronic states studied. In the process of these calculations, we have calculated the static polarizability of Cl− and reproduced the known polarizabilities of H, Cl, and H−. The calculations on the X 1Σ state of HCl yield a De within 0.10 eV of the measured value, and ωe within 3 cm−1 of the measured value. For the molecular ion, we find the potential of the 1 2Σ state of HCl− to be attractive and to undergo substantial charge transfer, and the potentials of the 2Π and 2 2Σ states to be repulsive even at large internuclear separations.