. Can. J. Chem. 71, 1706 (1993). The energy levels of the lower valence and Rydberg states of selenoformaldehyde, CH2Se, have been calculated by the SCF/CI method. Wavefunctions for the ROHF (restricted open shell Hartree-Fock) states were obtained with the Binnings-Curtis double-l; basis set, augmented with Rydberg and polarization functions. Configuration interaction was applied to the parent configurations, PCMO (parent configuration molecular orbital). Oscillator strengths were evaluated for the allowed electric dipole transitions by the RPA (random phase approximation), and SOPPA (second-order polarization propagator approximation) methods. The spin-orbit contribution to the zero field splitting of the first triplet state, 3~2(n,m*) as well as the oscillator strengths to the three spin components were calculated by perturbation theory. These calculations predict that the S,, S,, and S, components are shifted by -96.091, -96.707, and +29.167 cm-', respectively, from their unperturbed position. The oscillator strengths for the three componentsf,, f,, andf; of the 'A2(n,m*) t 'A,(g.s.) transition were calculated to be 3. On a applique l'interaction de configuration aux configurations fondamentales, PCMO (orbitale molCculaire de la configuration fondamentale). Faisant appel aux mCthodes de RPA (approximation alCatoire de la phase) et SOPPA (approximation du deuxieme ordre de la polarisation du propagateur), on a CvaluC les forces de l'oscillateur pour les transitions tlectriques dipolaires permises. Utilisant la thCorie de perturbation, on a calculC la contribution spin-orbite au couplage Introduction The CH2X molecules, where X = 0 , S , and Se, may be