Abstract

Representations of high-quality molecular electron densities are studied. An evaluation of restricted radial functions is made using a least-squares figure of merit, the molecular dipole and quadrupole moments, the electric fields at the nuclei, the electric-field gradients at the nuclei, an approximate energy and difference-density maps. For the heavy atom, a satisfactory representation has a fixed core function with a variable population and requires optimized dipolar core polarization functions, and an additional monopole term. The heavy-atom valence regions, and the H require expansions to at least the quadrupole level, with one Slater-type radial function per multipole and all exponents optimized. Additional valence radial functions and higher multipoles are required to give completely satisfactory difference-density maps but do not consistently improve the physical properties.