Ab initio and semiempirical calculations of large cluster models have been performed in order to study water adsorption and dissociation on pure, defective (vacancies) and doped (Li, Na, K, Ca, Fe) MgO (001) surfaces. The geometries of the adsorbed and dissociated molecules have been optimized preparatory to analysis of binding energies, stretching frequencies, charge transfers, preferential sites of interaction, and bond distances. We have used Mulliken, natural bond order, and electrostatic-derived atomic and overlap populations to analyze charge distributions in the clusters. We have also investigated transition structures, activation energies, energy gaps, HOMO, density of states, SCF orbital energies as well as the acid-base properties of our cluster model. Numerical results are compared, where possible, with experiment, interpreted in the framework of various analytical models, and correlated with site coordination numbers, corner and edge site preferential locations, and direction of charge transfer. A thorough charge analysis indicates substantial charge redistribution in the magnesium oxide crystal as a result of water adsorption and dissociation in pure, defective, and doped MgO crystals. The introduction of heavier impurities and vacancies could produce substantial changes in the physical and chemical properties of the catalyst and increase the binding and dissociation energies. Some of the largest changes originate from the introduction of vacancies. Two and three-dimensional potential energy surfaces are used to investigate activation energies of hydroxylation on the MgO surface. Stretching frequencies are correlated with magnesium and oxygen coordination numbers.