. Can. J. Chem. 59,3280 (1981). Calculations have been performed at four basis set levels (STO-3G, STO-3G*, 4-31Ci, 4-31G*) on the model ylides rnethylenesulfurane (CH,SH,) and methylenephosphorane (CH,PH,), their stable tautomers (CH,SH and CH,PH,), their dissociation products (SH,, PH, and CH,), and the protonated species CH,SH,+ and CH,PH,+. At each basis set level all geometries have been optimized fully, using the FORCE method. The conformational behaviour of the ylides as a function of C-X bond-stretching, C-X torsion. and CH, (or SH,) bending has been examined in some detail. The experimental properties (i.e., geometries, relative stabilities, proton affinities, rotation-inversion behaviour) of sulfonium and phosphonium ylides are reproduced well by the model calculations with the 4-31G* basis set, which contains d-type functions on both carbon and sulfur (or phosphorus). All other basis sets are deficient in different ways and for different reasons, whichare discussed in detail. The principal result of this work is the conclusion that d-type functions are essential for a proper description of the hypervalent species CH,SH, and CH,PH,, but not for the normal-valent species SH,, PH,, CH,SH, and CH,PH,. The conclusion concerning hypervalent species reverses our earlier views. The role of the d-type functions is to concentrate charge into the C-X region of the ylides, and thus to stabilize the system. Evidence for this effect has been obtained from quantitative perturbational molecular orbital (PMO) analyses of interactions associated with the carbon lone pair. as well as comparisons of electron density plots with and without the d AO's. A second conclusion is that the imposition of various geometrical constraints such as assumed C-X, C-H, or X-H bond lengths, and HCH or XH, bond angles, as was necessary for computational reasons in all previous work on such systems, has major and previously unrecognized consequences. For example. the assumption that the CH, moiety is planar in CH,SH, leads to very similar geometries with and without d AO's, although only in the latter case does such a geometry at carbon correspond to the true energy minimum: in the absence of d AO's the C-S bond length is maintained by a symmetry-enforced barrier to dissociation. These and other consequences of geometrical constraints at carbon, sulfur, or phosphorus are analyzed in detail.DAVID JOHN MITCHELL, SAUL WOLFE et H . BERNHARD SCHLEGEL. Can. J. Chem. 59, 3280 (1981). Utilisant quatre ensembles de base (STO-3G, STO-3G*, 4-31G, 4-31G*), on a effectue des calculs sur des modeles d'ylures de methylenesulfurane (CH,SH,) et de methylenephophorane (CH,PH,), sur leurs tautomeres stables (CH,SH et CH,PH,), sur leurs produits de dissociation (SH,, PH, et CH,) et sur leurs especes protonees CH,SH,, CH3PH3+. Faisant appel a la methode de FORCE, on a optimise pleinement toutes les geometries pour tous les ensembles de base. On a examine soigneusement le comportement conformationnel des ylures en fonction de l'elongation de la liaison C-X, de l...