Hydrogen Bond In Ice Research Articles

Molecular Orbital Study of the Hydrogen Bond in Ice

An SCF—MO—LCAO calculation for the four electrons involved in the straight hydrogen bond in ice is performed using a limited set of Slater-type orbitals. The energy of the four electrons plus the interaction between the ``core potentials'' is calculated as a function of the position of the proton along the line joining the oxygens. The energy of the hydrogen bond is obtained−8.2 kcal/mole—in good agreement with experiment. Electrostatic and delocalization contributions to the energy of the hydrogen bond are in excellent agreement with previous theoretical estimates. The potential energy for the motion of the proton results in a very asymmetric curve, with only one minimum. The dipole moment increases from 1.68 D for a free water molecule to 2.40 D thus confirming previous estimates.