  In this paper we describe how the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG)
can be used for quantum chemical calculations for molecules, as an alternative
to traditional methods, such as configuration interaction or coupled cluster
approaches. As a demonstration of the potential of this approach, we present
results for the H$_2$O molecule in a standard gaussian basis. Results for the
total energy of the system compare favorably with the best traditional quantum
chemical methods.
