The periodic table of diatomic molecules. I - An algorithm for retrieval and prediction of spectrophysical properties. II - Predicted internuclear separations from curve-fitted data

A periodic table for free diatomic molecules is presented which is based on systematic studies of tabulated data. The table consists of 15 blocks, each of which is composed of stacked areas that are each subdivided into compartments, one for each neutral molecule. The concept of the table is outlined, the table is compared with Clark's (1935, 1936) tables, and a uniqueness 'proof' of the 15-block table is given. A generalization of the table to include ionized molecules is described. Curves are then fitted to the tabulated data on internuclear separations. Internuclear separations are calculated and shown to agree with published values to better than 5%.