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Abstract A branching point is a point on a reaction path leading from reactants to products (via a transition state) at which it is energetically favorable for the system to break symmetry. Such a point can be defined in terms of normal modes along the reaction path and corresponds to zero curvature (a zero Hessian eigenvalue) along a symmetry‐breaking mode. An effective method for the location of such points is presented and realized in an efficient, practical algorithm designed for use in the ab initio program package Gaussian 82.
Baker et al. (Fri,) studied this question.