Properties of a ring critical point as measures of intramolecular H-bond strength

The topological parameters derived from the Bader theory such as the electron density and its Laplacian at the ring critical point (RCP) are analysed here as possible measures of the H-bond stength for intramolecular H-bonds. The parameters of RCP correlate well with the other properties of intramolecular H-bonds which are known as good measures of the H-bond strength. The calculations were performed on two samples of compounds with intramolecular H-bonds: the derivatives of malonaldehyde and the derivatives of o-hydroxybenzaldehyde. MP2 and HF calculations were carried out using a 6-311 ++G** basis set.