Semiempirical Correlation of Potential Parameters

The similar potential hypothesis (SPH)—that proportionality constants relating observables to potential parameters are roughly equal in chemically similar systems—yields ratios of potential parameters for a variety of systems. These ratios, obtained simply from even primitive data, agree well with ratios obtained from accurate but far more laborious potential inversion analyses (which require a great deal of high quality data). These ratios are shown to be more consistent with reciprocal combination rules for Z ≡ εrm and ε than are the corresponding geometric and arithmetic combination rules.