Effect of stretching on intermolecular potentials of diatomic molecules

The effect of stretching due to rotations and vibrations on the intermolecular potentials of diatomic molecules has been considered. The calculations for nitrogen and oxygen on the Lennard-Jones (12:6) model show that the effect is significant. Consequently, for polyatomic molecules the effect of stretching must be considered for a correct representation of the intermolecular potential.