Is the Group R4 an Approximate Symmetry for Many-Electron Theory?

The 4-dimensional rotation group R4 is used to analyze the structure of the (2s + 2p)N shell and to determine the relevance, if any, of the R4 group as an approximate symmetry group for many-electron theory. It is found that while the R4 symmetrized states of the (2s + 2p)N complex approximately diagonalize the Coulomb energy matrix for interactions within the complex, the inclusion of the inner 1s2 shell effects leads to a large symmetry violating term, which invalidates the R4 group as an approximate symmetry for many-electron theory.