Response to "Comment on `New strategies to incorporate the solvent polarization in self-consistent reaction field and free-energy perturbation simulations' " [J. Chem. Phys. 107, 1291 (1997)]

The main features of the first-order perturbative treatment to the solvent polarization effects reported by us [J. Chem. Phys. 103, 10183 (1995)] are presented. The final expressions for the electrostatic and polarization components of the free energy of solvation are compared with the corresponding equations derived upon application of the Rayleigh–Schrodinger perturbation theory to the SCRF equations, which has been recently reported by Angyan (preceding Comment). The discussion emphasizes the similarities and differences of the basic equations developed in the framework of the two perturbation approaches, which in the limit lead to the same perturbative expressions. The analysis shows that the two procedures are useful to gain insight into the contribution of polarization effects to solvation.