Charge transfer, chemical potentials, and the nature of functional groups: answers from quantum chemical topology

Abstract

We analyze the response of a quantum group within a molecule to charge transfer by using the interacting quantum atoms approach (IQA), an energy partitioning scheme within the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAM). It is shown that this response lies at the core of the concept of the functional group. The manipulation of fractional electron populations is carried out by using distribution functions for the electron number within the quantum basins. Several test systems are studied to show that similar chemical potential groups are characterized by similar energetic behavior upon interaction with other groups. The origin of the empirical additivity rules for group energies in simple hydrocarbons is also investigated. It turns out to rest on the independent saturation of both the self-energies and the interaction energies of the groups as the size of the chain increases. We also show that our results are compatible with the standard group energies of the QTAM.