Binding Regions in Diatomic Molecules

Abstract

The concept of intramolecular binding is given a precise definition in a way that relates binding to the forces acting on the nuclei in a diatomic molecule. A consequence of the definition is that the space around the nuclei may be separated into binding and antibinding regions. These regions are described and they depend on the Coulomb law of force and on the ratio of the nuclear charges: the internuclear distance is simply a scale parameter. The influence of a single electron on the binding due to other electrons is briefly discussed.