BASIS SET EFFECTS ON THE INTERMOLECULAR INTERACTION ENERGIES OF METHANE DIMERS OBTAINED BY THE MOLLER-PLESSET PERTURBATION-THEORY CALCULATION

Intermolecular interaction energies of methane dimer were calculated by using several basis sets up to 6-311G(3d,4p) with electron correlation energy correction by the Moller-Plesset perturbation method and basis set superposition error (BSSE) correction by the counterpoise method to evaluate the basis set effect. The calculated interaction energies depended on the basis set considerably. Whereas the interaction energies of repulsive component calculated at HF level were not affected by the change of basis set, the dispersion energy component depended greatly on the basis set used. The dispersion energies calculated with the Moller-Plesset second- and third-order perturbation by using 6-311G(2d,2p) basis set were 0-10% and 4-6% smaller than those obtained with the fourth-order (MP4(SDTQ)) perturbation, respectively. The BSSE's calculated by the counterpoise method were still about 30% of the calculated intermolecular interaction energies for the conformers of energy minima even at the MP4(SDTQ)/6-311G(2d,2p) level. The calculated interaction potentials of dimers at the MP4(SDTQ)/6-311G(2d,2p) level were considerably shallower than those obtained by MM2 force fields but were close to the potentials given by the Williams potential and by the recently reported MM3 force field.