On the possibility of using model potentials for collision integral calculations of interest for planetary atmospheres

The interaction energy in systems (atom–atom, atom–ion and atom–molecule) involving open-shell species, predicted by a phenomenological method, is used for collision integral calculations. The results are compared with those obtained by different authors by using the complete set of quantum mechanical interaction potentials arizing from the electronic configurations of separate partners. A satisfactory agreement is achieved, implying that the effect of deep potential wells, present in some of the chemical potentials, is cancelled by the effect of strong repulsive potentials.