Localized orbitals for the description of molecular interaction

The intermolecular interaction between the molecules CH₂O and NH₃ was investigated by the supermolecule method. The interaction energies were first calculated at the ab initio SCF level, and the electron correlation was included via second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP 2). The basis set superposition error (BSSE ) was taken into account by the counter-poise (CP ) method. The occupied and the virtual canonical molecular orbitals (CMOS ) of the supermolecule were separately localized by the Boys' procedure. The correlation correction was calculated by the many-body perturbation theory (MBPT ) in the localized representation. Contributions of the third- and fourth-order localized diagrams were added to those of the second-order canonical diagram. This procedure gives a correction nearly equivalent to that of MP 2. The possibility to separate LMO contributions responsible for the dispersion interaction was investigated.