Uniform quality gaussian basis sets for molecular calculations. II. C2 hydrocarbons

This investigation is a continuation of a study on the optimality of MO basis sets of Gaussian functions, when constructed from AO basis sets optimized for the neutral atom or for ions. A formal charge parameter Q is used to adjust AO basis sets to the molecular environment, by virtue of a simple quadratic equation. Calculations are performed on a series of seven C₂ hydrocarbons (C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₃⁺ (open), C₂H₃⁺ (bridged), C₂H₅⁺ (bridged), and C₂H₄^? radical anion). A simple rule is formulated to give approximate values of the charge parameter Q.     

The structure and dissociation pathways of protonated methanol: An ab initio molecular orbital study

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations with moderately large polarization basis sets and including valence-electron correlation have been used to examine the structure and dissociation mechanisms of protonated methanol [CH₃OH₂]⁺. Stable isomers and transition structures have been characterized using gradient techniques. Protonated methanol is found to be the only stable isomer in the [CH₅O]⁺ potential surface. There is no evidence for a tightly-bound complex, [HOCH₂]⁺…?H₂, analogous to the preferred structure [CH₃]⁺…?H₂ of [CH₅]⁺. Protonated methanol is found to possess a pyramidal arrangement of bonds at the oxygen atom with a barrier to inversion of 8kJ mol^?1. The lowest energy fragmentation pathways are dissociation into methyl cation and water (predicted to require 284 kJ mol^?1 with zero reverse activation energy) and loss of molecular hydrogen (endothermic by 138 kJ mol^?1 but with a reverse activation barrier of 149 kJ mol^?1). The results offer a possible explanation as to why production of [CH₂OH]⁺ from the reaction of methyl cation with water is not observed. Other dissociation processes examined include loss of a hydrogen atom to yield the methylenoxonium radical cation or methanol radical cation (requiring 441 and 490 kJ mol^?1, respectively) and loss of a proton to yield neutral methanol (requiring 784 kJ mol^?1).     

An ab initio calculation of 14n quadrupole coupling constants

Ab initio SCF-MO calculations of ¹⁴N quadrupole coupling constants are reported for HCN, HNC, CH₃CN, CH₃NC, NH₃, NH₂NH₂, FCN, N₂O, (CN)₂, BrCN, pyridine and pyrazine. There is excellent correlation between calculation and experiment yielding Q = 1.503 ± 0.159 × 10^?26 cm² for the ¹⁴N nuclear quadrupole moment. Dunning sp basis sets are more than adequate for such calculations, STO/4G basis sets yielding almost identical results for pyridine and pyrazine. Unsuccessful attempts were made to correlate coupling constants with electronic population analysis indices.     

The influence of ligand substituents and donor atom sets on the gas phase electron attachment reactions of bis-chelates of nickel(II)

Electron attachment reactions and negative ion mass spectra which were obtained under negative chemical ionization conditions have been examined for a series of 21 nickel(II) bis-chelates of formula Ni[R¹CXCHCYR²]₂. Three ligand donor atom sets (X, Y), respectively O₄, O₂S₂, S₄ were investigated for each of the substituent combinations, viz.: R¹=CH₃, CF₃ or C₂H₅O, R²=CH₃; R¹=C₆H₅, CH₃ or CF₃, R²=C₆H₅; and R¹ = R² = tert?C₄H₉. While the ligand substituent combinations exerted considerable influence over the various ion decomposition reactions, the relative molecular ion stabilities were largely dependent on the ligand donor atom sets and followed the sequence O₄? O₂S₂>S₄ for most substituent combinations. Rationalizations are offered in terms of reductive electron capture reactions involving metal-based orbitals, as well as the increasing stabilities of reaction products as sulphur is incorporated into the ligand donor atom sets. A comparison is also given of negative ion mass spectral data obtained under electron impact conditions as well as negative chemical ionization conditions when methane was used as an electron energy moderating gas.     

Structure and properties of transition-metal compounds. A systematic study of basis set effects in ab initioSCF calculations

The recently developed Gaussian basis functions [2] were used in calculations on the ground electronic states of molecules containing transition-metal atoms: ScF₃, TiCl₄, ZrCl₄, Cr(CO)₆, Ni(CO)₄, CuF, CuCl, Zn(CH₃)₂, and Cd(CH₃)₂. The usefulness of minimal basis sets, the importance of splitting of the valence part of the minimal basis sets, the role of the triple splitting of the d-block functions, and the need for p-, d-, and f-type polarization functions were discussed in the context of the geometrical structure and the firstorder electronic properties of the transition-metal atom compounds.     

Substituent effects in second-row molecules: Basis set performance in calculations of normal valency phosphorus and sulfur compounds

Ab inito molecular orbital calculations of the phosphorus- and sulfur-containing series PH₂X, PH₃X⁺, SHX, and SH₂X⁺ (X = H, CH₃, NH₂, OH, F) have been carried out over a range of Gaussian basis sets and the results (optimized geometrical structures, relative energies, and electron distributions) critically compared. As in first-row molecules there are large discrepancies between substituent interaction energies at different basis set levels, particularly in electron-rich molecules; use of basis sets lower than the supplemented 6-31G basis incurs the risk of obtaining substituent stabilizations with large errors, including the wrong sign. Only a small part of the discrepancies is accounted for by structural differences between the optimized geometries. Supplementation of low level basis sets by d functions frequently leads to exaggerated stabilization energies for π-donor substituents. Poor performance also results from the use of split valence basis sets in which the valence shell electron density is too heavily concentrated in diffuse component of the valence shell functions, again likely to occur in electron-rich molecules. Isodesmic reaction energies are much less sensitive to basis set variation, but d function supplementation is necessary to achieve reliable results, suggesting a marginal valence role for d functions, not merely polarization of the bonding density. Optimized molecular geometries are relatively insensitive to basis set and electron population analysis data, for better-than-minimal bases, are uniform to an unexpected degree.     

Molecule‐adapted basis sets optimized with a quantum Monte Carlo method

The Monte Carlo simulated annealing method is adapted to optimize correlated Gaussian‐type functions in nonrelativistic molecular environments. Starting from an atom‐centered atomic Gaussian basis set, the uncontracted functions are reoptimized in the molecular environments corresponding to the H₂O, CN^?, N₂, CO, BF, NO⁺, CO₂, and CS systems. These new molecular adapted basis sets are used to calculate total energies, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and equilibrium geometries at a correlated level of theory. The present methodology is a simple and effective way to improve molecular correlated wave functions, without the need to enlarge the molecular basis set. Additionally, this methodology can be used to generate hierarchical sequences of molecular basis sets with increasing size, which are relevant to establish complete basis set limits. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Correlated one‐electron wave functions

Using four basis sets, 6‐311G(d,p), 6‐31+G(d,p), 6‐311++G(2d,2p), and 6‐311++G(3df,3pd), the optimized structures with all real frequencies were obtained at the MP2 level for dimers CH₂O? HF, CH₂O? H₂O, CH₂O? NH₃, and CH₂O? CH₄. The structures of CH₂O? HF, CH₂O? H₂O, and CH₂O? NH₃ are cycle‐shaped, which result from the larger bend of σ‐type hydrogen bonds. The bend of σ‐type H‐bond O…H? Y (Y?F, O, N) is illustrated and interpreted by an attractive interaction of a chemically intuitive π‐type hydrogen bond. The π‐type hydrogen bond is the interaction between one of the acidic H atoms of CH₂O and lone pair(s) on the F atom in HF, the O atom in H₂O, or the N atom in NH₃. By contrast with above the three dimers, for CH₂O? CH₄, because there is not a π‐type hydrogen‐bond to bend its linear hydrogen bond, the structure of CH₂O? CH₄ is a noncyclic shaped. The interaction energy of hydrogen bonds and the π‐type H‐bond are calculated and discussed at the CCSD(T)/6‐311++G(3df,3pd) level. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Uniform quality gaussian basis sets for molecular calculations. IV. Gradient and charged optimized basis sets for CH4

Comparison of the molecular Q-optimized and molecular gradient optimized carbon basis sets for CH 4 showed that molecular Q optimization is an excellent substitute to the more expensive molecular gradient optimization. The parameter Q of the Q optimization is related to the population (i.e., net charge) on the atom.     

Mass spectometry of aralkyl compounds with a functional group—VI1: Mass spectra of 1-phenylethyanol-1, 2-phenylethanol-1 and 1-phenylpropanol-2

Mass spectra of 1-phenylethanol-1 and its analogues, specifically deuterated in the aliphatic chain, suggest that the [M? CH₃]⁺ ion is represented partly by an α-hydroxybenzyl fragment. Moreover, the molecular ion loses successively—after scrambling of all hydrogen atoms, except those of CH₃? a hydrogen atom and C₆H₆, generation the CH₃CO⁺ ion. Diffuse peaks, found in the spectra of of 2-phenylethanol-1 and its analogues, specifically deuterated in the aliphatic chain and in the phenyl ring, show that the molecular ion loses C₂H₄O, possibly via a four-center mechanism, after an exchange of aromatic and hydroxylic hydrogens. Mass spectra of 1-phenylpropanol-2 and its analogues, specifically, deuterated in the aliphatic chain, demonstrate that in the molecular ion exclusively the hydroxyl hydrogen atom is transferred to one of the ortho-positions of the phenyl ring via a McLafferty rearrangement, generating the [M ? C₂H₄O]⁺ ion. Furtherore, an eight-membered ring structure is proposed for the [M ? CH₃]⁺ ion to explain the loss of H₂O and C₂H₂O from this ion after an extensive scrambling of hydrogen atoms.     

Mass spectra of ethenol and its deutero analogues

Ethenol, 1-d-ethenol, O-d-ethenol and Z-2-d-ethenol were prepared by pyrolysis of corresponding 5-norbornenols at 800^°C/2 × 10^?6 Torr. The most important fragments in the electron impact mass spectrum of ethenol are [C₂H₃O]⁺ and CHO⁺ and CH₃˙. The hydrogen atom eliminated from the molecular ion comes mainly from the hydroxyl group (68%) and to a lesser extent from C(1) (25%) and C(2) (7%). The loss of the hydroxyl hydrogen is preceded by rate-determining migration of the hydrogen atom from C(1) onto C(2) to yield CH₃C?OH⁺˙ions that decompose to CH₃CO⁺ and H˙. The loss of deuterium from O-d-ethenol shows a very small primary isotope effect (k_H/k_D=1.07), whereas a significant effect is observed for the loss of hydrogen from 1-d-ethenol (k_H/k_D=1.28). The appearance energy of [C₂H₂DO]⁺ from 1-d-ethenol, AE=11.32 eV, gives a critical energy for the hydrogen loss, E=203 kJ mol^?1, which is 90 kJ mol^?1 above the thermochemical threshold for CH₃CO⁺+H˙. The appearance energy of CDO⁺ from 1-d-ethenol was measured as 12.96±0.07 eV, which sets the barrier to isomerization to CH₃CDO⁺˙ at 1121 kJ mol^?1. The ionization energy of ethenol was found to be 9.22±0.03 eV.     

The expansion of hydrogen states in Gaussian orbitals

The convergence properties of Gaussian orbitals are studied by considering a very simple system, the hydrogen atom. We have variationally optimized even-tempered basis sets containing up to 60 s functions for the ground state and the first excited S state of the hydrogen atom, to an accuracy of 10^–15E_h. In addition, we have freely optimized the exponents in basis sets containing up to 12 Gaussians. We have studied the convergence of the total energy, the kinetic energy, the extent of the atom as measured by r², and the Fermi-contact interaction at the nucleus in these basis sets as well as in basis sets augmented with additional diffuse or steep functions.     

Rearrangements in Model Peptide‐Type Radicals via Intramolecular Hydrogen‐Atom Transfer

Intramolecular H‐atom transfer in model peptide‐type radicals was investigated with high‐level quantum‐chemistry calculations. Examination of 1,2‐, 1,3‐, 1,5‐, and 1,6[C ? N]‐H shifts, 1,4‐ and 1,7[C ? C]‐H shifts, and 1,4[N ? N]‐H shifts (Scheme 1), was carried out with a number of theoretical methods. In the first place, the performance of UB3‐LYP (with the 6‐31G(d), 6‐31G(2df,p), and 6‐311+G(d,p) basis sets) and UMP2 (with the 6‐31G(d) basis set) was assessed for the determination of radical geometries. We found that there is only a small basis‐set dependence for the UB3‐LYP structures, and geometries optimized with UB3‐LYP/6‐31G(d) are generally sufficient for use in conjunction with high‐level composite methods in the determination of improved H‐transfer thermochemistry. Methods assessed in this regard include the high‐level composite methods, G3(MP2)‐RAD, CBS‐QB3, and G3//B3‐LYP, as well as the density‐functional methods B3‐LYP, MPWB1K, and BMK in association with the 6‐31+G(d,p) and 6‐311++G(3df,3pd) basis sets. The high‐level methods give results that are close to one another, while the recently developed functionals MPWB1K and BMK provide cost‐effective alternatives. For the systems considered, the transformation of an N‐centered radical to a C‐centered radical is always exothermic (by 25 kJ ? mol^?1 or more), and this can lead to quite modest barrier heights of less than 60 kJ ? mol^?1 (specifically for 1,5[C ? N]‐H and 1,6[C ? N]‐H shifts). H‐Migration barriers appear to decrease as the ring size in the transition structure (TS) increases, with a lowering of the barrier being found, for example when moving from a rearrangement proceeding via a four‐membered‐ring TS (e.g., the 1,3[C ? N]‐H shift, CH₃? C(O)? NH^. → ^.CH₂? C(O)? NH₂) to a rearrangement proceeding via a six‐membered‐ring TS (e.g., the 1,5[C ? N]‐H shift, ^.NH? CH₂? C(O)? NH? CH₃ → NH₂? CH₂? C(O)? NH? CH₂^.).     

Localized molecular orbital studies in momentum space. II. Correspondence between coordinate and momentum space properties of various electron pairs

The momentum space properties of the ten-electron systems Ne, HF, H₂O, NH₃ and CH₄ as well as those of CH₃CH₃, CH₃NH₂, CH₃OH and FCH₂OH were investigated using localized molecular orbitals (LMO) obtained from ab initio self-consistent-field (SCF) wavefunctions constructed from double zeta quality gaussain basis sets.Compton profiles of various LMO electron pairs (CC, CN, CO, CF; CH, NH, OH, FH bond pairs and C, N, O, F lone pairs) are tabulated. In order to understand the correspondence between the momentum and the coordinate space properties of those electron pairs, the concept of the size and the shape of an LMO electron pair charge distribution has been utilized. The use of the intermediate expectation values of pⁿ is introduced for the purpose of interpreting the momentum space properties.The dependence of molecular property partitioning on different localization schemes and on different basis sets is also studied by using the H₂O profile as an example.     

Ab initio calculations of isotropic hyperfine coupling constants in β-ketoenolyl radicals

Ab initio unrestricted Hartree–Fock (UHF ), unrestricted second-order Møller–Plesset (UMP 2) perturbation, unrestricted coupled cluster (UCCD ), and unrestricted quadratic configuration interaction (UQCISD ) calculations have been performed on the organic radicals CH₃, CH₃CH₂, CH₂CHCH₂, CH₃CHCOO^?, HCOCHCOH, CH₃COCHCOH, CH₃COCHCOCH₃, and CH₃COC(CH₃)COCH₃, using double-zeta and split-valence-plus-polarization basis sets. These radicals are derived from common organic ligands and have been observed in recent experimental work on tris(β-ketoenolato)cobalt(III) complexes. Their geometry has been optimized at the UHF level using the two mentioned basis sets. From these calcuations, values for the isotropic hyperfine coupling constants at the hydrogen atoms are predicted and compared with the experimental results. The usefulness of semiempirical extrapolations based on limited basis sets and treatment of electron correlation effects is carefully analyzed in the examples considered. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structures and relative energies of gas phase [C3H7O]+ ions

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations have been carried out for 17 possible isomeric [C₃H₇O]⁺ structures. Optimized geometries have been obtained with a split-valence basis set and improved relative energies determined with polarization basis sets and with incorporation of electron correlation. The results agree well with available experimental data. In particular, (CH₃)₂COH⁺, CH₃CH₂CHOH⁺, CH₃CHOCH₃⁺, CH₃CH₂OCH₂⁺, and have been confirmed as low-energy isomers. Six additional structures appear to be energetically accessible and to offer a reasonable prospect for experimental observation. These are CH₂CHCH₂OH₂⁺, CH₂C(CH₃)OH₂⁺, CH₃CHCHOH₂⁺, CH₂CHOHCH₃⁺, and .     

Ab initio calculation of spin–orbit interaction in polyatomic molecules using Gaussian-type wavefunctions

A set of programs has been developed to calculate molecular spin–orbit interaction with Gaussian-type wavefunctions in connection with the popular GAUSSIAN 76 program. The spin–orbit contributions to the fine structure of O₂ (X³∑_g^?), NH (X³∑^?), and CH₂ (X³B₁) are evaluated with the standard STO -3G and 6-31G basis sets; for NH the influence of bond functions added to the latter basis set is also investigated. The results are compared to values previously obtained with other types of basis sets.     

硫的取代对基态硫代乙酸单分子解离反应影响的理论研究

应用B3LYP方法,结合6-31G**、cc-pVDZ、aug-cc-pVDZ和cc-pVTZ基组对硫代乙酸的两种异构体CH3C(O)SH和CH3C(S)OH在基态势能面上的9个单分子反应进行了研究。本文计算预测硫代乙酸主要以CH3C(O)SH的形式存在,两种异构体均以顺式构象为优势构象。通过对比CH3C(O)SH、CH3C(S)OH和 CH3C(O)OH的反应性差异,我们可以得出结论：CH3C(O)OH中-OH基团的O被S取代后,只有当-SH作为一个整体参加反应时才对分子解离过程有较大影响;而C=O或C=S对反应性影响较小。     

Ab initio calculations on sulfur-containing compounds. I. Uniform quality basis sets for sulfur: Total energies and geometries of H2S

Uniform quality basis sets (UQ-NG ; N=3, 4, 5), with s = p and s ≠ p, and a 6-31 G^* basis set have been optimized for the sulfur atom. These uniform quality basis sets in their uncontracted and contracted forms were used, together with other basis sets reported in the literature (a total of 40 basis sets), to study their accuracy in predicting the bond length and bond angle of H₂S.     

On the convergence properties of the Rayleigh–Schrödinger and the Hirschfelder–Silbey perturbation expansions for molecular interaction energies

By applying the powerful direct optimization technique of conjugate gradients as adapted for the optimization of an open shell energy functional, a uniformly balanced (15^s 10^p) Gaussian basis set was obtained for the silicon atom. The quality of this basis set, as defined in terms of “exponent forces” or energy gradient |g|, is compatible with the quality of suitably chosen (10^s 5^p) carbon and (5^s) hydrogen basis sets. Contractions better than double zeta were determined for all three bases of Si, C, and H. Using the primitive and contracted bases, ab initio SCF MO calculations were carried out on molecules of SiH₄, CH₄, and H₂. Some of the computed results obtained for H₂C = SiH₂ are also included as an illustration for organo-silicon compounds.