Electronic structure of long molecules with conjugated bonds

The -electron system in a long molecule of the polyene type was calculated according to the Hartree-Fock self-consistent field method in which electrons with different spins are located on different molecular orbitals. The ground state of the -electron system in a long molecule is found to be antiferromagnetic and possesses a gap in the one-particle excitation spectrum. The calculated value of the first -electron transition as a function of the number of atoms in the polyene chain is in good agreement with experiment.