Atomic and molecular correlation energies with explicitly correlated Gaussian geminals. V. Cartesian Gaussian geminals and the neon atom

Correlation energy through third order and various coupled‐pair correlation energies have been calculated for the neon atom using a basis set of explicitly correlated Gaussian geminals. Improved versions of functionals introduced in earlier papers of this series have been used. Our results are in very good agreement with accurate results of Lindgren and Salomonson and Jankowski et al. obtained with techniques specific for atoms. Our values are estimated to be accurate to about 1 mhartree. The results of this paper show that the method of Gaussian geminals is very competitive for systems with p electrons and should be able to achieve ‘‘chemical accuracy’’ for small molecules containing first and second row atoms.