Unrestricted HartreeFock (UHF) theory is the most common molecular orbital method for open shell molecules where

the number of electrons of each spin are not equal. While restricted HartreeFock theory uses a single molecular orbital twice, once multiplied by the spin function and once multiplied by the spin function in the Slater determinant, unrestricted HartreeFock theory uses different molecular orbitals for the and electrons. This has been called a different orbitals for different spins (DODS) method. The result is a pair of coupled Roothaan equations, known as the PopleNesbetBerthier equations.[1][2]

Where and

and

are the Fock matrices for the

and and and

orbitals, orbitals, are the and is

are the matrices of coefficients for the

the overlap matrix of the basis functions, and

(diagonal, by convention) matrices of orbital energies for the

orbitals. The pair of equations are coupled because the Fock matrix elements of one spin contains coefficients of both spin as the orbital has to be optimized in the average field of all other electrons. The final result is a set of molecular orbitals and orbital energies for the spin electrons and a set of molecular orbitals and orbital energies for the electrons. This method has one drawback. A single Slater determinant of different orbitals for different spins is not a satisfactory eigenfunction of the total spin operator . The ground state is contaminated by , written , excited states. If there is one more electron of spin than spin, the ground state is a doublet. The average value of should be but will actually be rather more than this

value as the doublet state is contaminated by a quadruplet state. A

triplet state with two excess electrons should have

= 1 (1 + 1)

= 2, but it will be larger as the triplet is contaminated by a quintuplet state. When carrying out unrestricted HartreeFock calculations, it is always necessary to check this contamination. For example, with a doublet state, if = 0.8 or less, it is probably satisfactory. If it is 1.0 or so, it is certainly not satisfactory and the calculation should be rejected and a different approach taken. It requires experience to make this judgment. Even singlet states can suffer from spincontamination, for example the H2 dissociation curve is discontinuous at the point when spin-contamination states (known as theCoulsonFischer point[3]). Despite this drawback, the unrestricted HartreeFock method is used frequently, and in preference to the restricted open-shell Hartree Fock (ROHF) method, because UHF is simpler to code, easier to develop post-HartreeFock methods with, and returns unique functions unlike ROHF where different Fock operators can give the same final wave function. Unrestricted HartreeFock theory was discovered by Gaston Berthier and subsequently developed by John Pople; it is found in almost all ab initio programs.

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Berthier, Gaston (1954). "Extension de la methode du champ moleculaire self-consistent a l'etude des couches incompletes" [Extension of the method of molecular self-consistent field to the study of incomplete layers]. Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des sances de l'Acadmie des sciences (in French) 238: 9193.

2. Jump up^ Pople, J. A.; Nesbet, R. K. (1954). "Self-Consistent Orbitals for Radicals". The Journal of Chemical Physics 22 (3): 571. doi:10.1063/1.1740120. 3. Jump up^ Coulson, C.A.; Fischer, I. (1949). "XXXIV. Notes on the molecular orbital treatment of the hydrogen molecule". Philosophical Magazine Series 7 40 (303): 386 393.doi:10.1080/14786444908521726 (inactive 2010-06-06).