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The self-consistent-field function for atoms with 2 to 36 electrons are computed with a minimal basis set of Slater-type orbitals. The orbital exponent of the atomic orbitals are optimized as to ensure the energy minimum. The analysis of the optimized orbital exponents allows us to obtain simple and accurate rules for the 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 2p, 3p, 4p, and 3d electronic screening constants. These rules are compared with those proposed by Slater and reveal the need of accounting for the screening due to the outside electrons. The analysis of the screening constants (and orbital exponents) is extended to the excited states of the groundstate configuration and to the positive ions.

Minimal basis-set atomic functions for the ground-state atoms from Rb(Z=37) to Rn(Z=86) are presented. These functions are analyzed in order to obtain systematic data for the screening constants and atomic radii following the work initiated by Slater.

The potential energies for the water dimer in various geometrical configurations have been calculated with a configuration–interaction method. The computed dimerization binding energies corresponding to the potential minima for the linear, cyclic, and bifurcated configurations are −5.6, −4.9, and −4.2 kcal/mol, respectively; the correlation effects account for −1.1, −1.2, and −0.9 kcal/mol, respectively, of the total binding energy for these three dimeric forms. The correlation effects for the entire potential surface have been analyzed in terms of inter- and intramolecular effects; the substantial coupling found between these effects, particularly in the vicinity of equilibrium position, is discussed. The computational technique employed, in particular an analysis on the selection criteria for the configuration state functions, is discussed, and its reliability is assessed. Two analytical expressions for the water dimer potential surface obtained by fitting the calculated energies are presented. The potential surface given here is being used to determine the structure of liquid water (in the pairwise approximation and with Monte Carlo techniques); this latter work will be reported elsewhere.

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