Mathematical Connections Between Bond-Stretching Potential Functions

Abstract

Mathematical connections are useful in enabling a set of parametric data from a chemical bond-stretching potential function to be applied in a computational chemistry software that adopts a different potential function. This paper establishes connections between four potential energy functions in stretching and compression of covalent bonds. The potential functions that are mathematically connected are: (i) harmonic potential, (ii) polynomial series potential, (iii) Morse potential, and (iv) Murrell–Mottram potential. Two methods are employed in obtaining the relationships between the four potential functions. The expansion approach enables the relationships to be made at large bond-stretching, whilst the differential approach allows for the connections to be made only at infinitesimal bond-stretching. For verification, parametric data from the Murrell–Mottram potential is converted to parametric data of the harmonic, polynomial series and Morse potentials. For comparison, the bond-stretching energies for these functions are plotted. Discrepancy between the Morse and the Murrell–Mottram potentials at large bond-stretching is discussed in terms of the assumed infinitesimal deformation.