A semi‐empirical MO theory for ionization potentials and electron affinities

Abstract A method for calculating the vertical ionization potentials and electron affinities according to their fundamental definition as differences between energies of the singlet ground and doublet ionized states is developed for cyclic hydrocarbons. The method adopts a new approach based on the central idea of a recent ab initio IP and EA calculation in which orbital exponents are optimized for both ground and ionized states. Hence, all the semi‐empirical parameters of the MO theory are written as functions of the effective nuclear charge which, in turn, is made self‐consistent with the molecular electronic charge distribution of the species. Although the MO theory is developed in the π electron approximation, the changes in the σ electron density, resulting from the loss or gain of a π electron, are explicitly considered in the calculation. The theory is compared to the earlier work of Hoyland and Goodman and tested against the first five polyacenes and on the condensed ring aromatics phenanthrene, pyrene, and perylene. Except for perylene, the results are in close agreement with the latest photoelectron spectroscopic measurements.