https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.11482
Charges assigned to atoms, arising from the uneven distribution of electrons in bonds, that are used to calculate intermolecular interaction energy or to
characterize the charge distribution of a molecule.
Notes:
- The charges can be derived from quantum chemical population analyses, fitted dipole moments or electrostatic potentials, spectroscopic data, or from partitioning electron density.
- There is no firm theoretical basis for the assignment of partial atomic charges, hence there is no "correct" one.