Ab initio anharmonic force field and equilibrium structure of vinyl bromide

The quadratic, cubic, and semi-diagonal quartic force field of vinyl bromide has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory employing a basis set of triple-ζ quality including a relativistic pseudopotential on bromine. A semi-experimental equilibrium structure has been derived from experimental ground state rotational constants and rovibrational interaction parameters calculated from the ab initio force field. This structure is in excellent agreement with the ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of quadruple-ζ quality and an offset correction. The experimental mass-dependent r_m structures are also determined and their accuracy is discussed.     

Ab initio anharmonic force field and equilibrium structure of propene

The quadratic, cubic and semi-diagonal quartic force field of propene has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory employing a basis set of triple-ζ quality. A semi-experimental equilibrium structure has been derived from experimental ground state rotational constants and rovibrational interaction parameters calculated from the ab initio force field. This structure is in excellent agreement with the ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of quintuple-ζ quality and a core correlation correction. The experimental mass-dependent r_m structures are also determined and their accuracy is discussed. The use of isolated CH stretching frequencies is shown to be a good method to determine CH bond length.     

Microwave and high resolution infrared spectra of vinyl chloride, ab initio anharmonic force field and equilibrium structure

The quadratic, cubic, and semi-diagonal quartic force field of vinyl chloride has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory employing a basis set of triple-ζ quality. The spectroscopic constants derived from this force field are compared with the experimental values. To make this comparison more complete, the rotational constants of the lowest excited state, v₉ = 1 at 395 cm⁻¹ have been determined by microwave spectroscopy and the ν₁₂ band (around 618 cm⁻¹) has been investigated by high-resolution infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. The equilibrium structure has been derived from experimental ground state rotational constants and ab initio rovibrational interaction parameters. This semi-experimental structure is in excellent agreement with the ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of quintuple-ζ quality and a core correlation correction. The experimental mass-dependent r_m structures are also determined and their accuracy is discussed. The recommended equilibrium geometry is: r (CC) = 1.3262(10), r (CCl) = 1.7263(10), r (CH_g) = 1.0784(10), r (CH_c) = 1.0795(10), r (CH_t) = 1.0797(10), ∠(CCCl) = 122.77(10)°, ∠(CCH_g) = 123.86(10)°, ∠(CCH_c) = 121.80(10)°, ∠(CCH_t) = 119.29(10)°.     

Torsional barrier and equilibrium structure of ethyl cyanide

The quadratic, cubic and semi-diagonal quartic force field of ethyl cyanide has been calculated at the B3LYP level of theory employing a basis set of triple-ζ quality. A semi-experimental equilibrium structure has been derived from experimental ground state rotational constants and rovibrational interaction parameters calculated from the ab initio force field. This structure is in excellent agreement with the ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of quadruple-ζ quality and a core correlation correction. The empirical structures are also determined and their accuracy is discussed. The potential barrier V₃ hindering internal rotation of the methyl group has been calculated from 23 rotational transitions of CH₃CH₂C¹⁵N which were found split into doublets, giving V₃ = 3074(27) cal mol⁻¹.     

Equilibrium structure of methylcyanide

The quadratic and cubic force fields of methylcyanide have been calculated at the MP2 and CCSD(T) levels of theory employing a core-valence basis set of triple-zeta quality. Semi-experimental equilibrium structures have then been derived from the experimental ground-state rotational constants available for various isotopologues and the corresponding vibrational corrections calculated from the ab initio force fields. These structures have been found in excellent agreement with the pure ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of sextuple-zeta quality and including core correlation corrections.     

Ground state rotational spectrum,K = 3 splittings,ab initio anharmonic force field and equilibrium structure of trifluoroamine

The submillimetre-wave spectrum of ¹⁴NF₃ has been measured and the ground state rotational spectrum has been reanalysed, including the K=3 splittings. The quadratic, cubic and semidiagonal quartic force field has been calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory employing a basis set of at least polarized valence triple-zeta quality. This force field has been used to predict the spectroscopic constants, including the parameters specific to the doubly degenerate vibrational states. The calculated values are found to be in good agreement with the available experimental data. The equilibrium structure has been derived from the experimental ground state rotational constants and either the ab initio or the experimental rovibrational interaction parameters. These experimental and semiexperimental structures are in excellent agreement with the ab initio equilibrium geometry.     

Ab initio anharmonic force field and equilibrium structure of carbonyl chlorofluoride

The quadratic, cubic, and semi-diagonal quartic force field of OCFCl has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory employing a basis set of triple-zeta quality. The spectroscopic constants derived from the force field are in excellent agreement with those from previous and new experiments. The equilibrium structure has been derived from experimental ground state rotational constants and ab initio rovibrational interaction parameters. This semi-experimental structure is in excellent agreement with the ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory. This good agreement indicates that the derived structure is accurate. The equilibrium geometry is: r_e(CO)=1.173(1) Å; r_e(C-F)=1.323(1) Å; r_e(C-Cl)=1.721(1) Å; ∠_e(OCF)=124.0 (1)°; and ∠_e(OCCl)=126.4(1)°.     

Pure rotational spectrum, ab initio anharmonic force field, and equilibrium structure of silyl chloride

The ground state rotational spectra of H₃Si³⁵Cl, H₃Si³⁷Cl, and D₃Si³⁵Cl have been measured from the microwave to the submillimeterwave ranges and accurate rotational parameters have been determined. For H₃Si³⁷Cl, they are in good agreement with the values obtained from the ground state combination differences. The quadratic, cubic, and semi-diagonal quartic force field has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory employing a basis set of polarized valence quadruple-zeta quality. This force field has been used to predict the spectroscopic constants. The calculated values are found to be in good agreement with the available experimental data. The equilibrium structure has been derived from the experimental ground state rotational constants and either the ab initio or the experimental rovibrational interaction parameters. These experimental and semi-experimental structures are in excellent agreement with the ab initio equilibrium geometry.     

Ab initio anharmonic force field,spectroscopic parameters and equilibrium structure of trifluorosilane

The quadratic, cubic and semidiagonal quartic force field of trifluorosilane has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory employing a basis set of polarized valence triple-zeta quality. This force field has been used to predict the spectroscopic constants, including the parameters specific of the double degenerate vibrational states. The calculated values are found to be in good agreement with the available experimental data, and explanations are offered for discrepancies. This confirms the accuracy of the ab initio force field and the validity of the theory of the reduction of the rovibrational Hamiltonian of a doubly degenerate vibrational state. The equilibrium structure has been derived from the experimental rotational constants and the ab initio rovibrational interaction parameters. This semiexperimental structure is in excellent agreement with the ab initio equilibrium geometry.     

Submillimeterwave spectrum of CH2PH and equilibrium structures of CH2PH and CH2NH

The rotational spectrum of phosphaethene (CH₂PH) was reinvestigated. One hundred and nineteen new lines were measured in the submillimeter range from 500 to 650 GHz. The determination of the centrifugal distortion constants is significantly improved. As the molecule is close to symmetric prolate top, both reduction A and S were compared. The equilibrium structure has been derived from experimental ground state rotational constants and ab initio rovibrational interaction parameters. This semi-experimental structure is in excellent agreement with the ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of quintuple-zeta quality and a core correlation correction. The structure of CH₂PH was compared to that of CH₂NH which was also determined for this goal. It is found that the semi-experimental structure of CH₂NH is less accurate than the ab initio structure. It is also found that the methylene group is much more asymmetric in CH₂NH than in CH₂PH.     

Ab initio anharmonic force field and equilibrium structure of the sulfonium ion

The semi-experimental equilibrium structure of the sulfonium ion, , has been obtained from the experimental ground-state rotational constants available for five isotopologues and the corresponding vibrational corrections computed at the CCSD(T)/cc-pwCVQZ level of theory. This geometry has been found in very good agreement with the pure ab initio equilibrium structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of sextuple-zeta quality and including core correlation corrections. The anharmonic force field has been used for deriving spectroscopic properties: in particular, in addition to the vibrational corrections, the rotational parameters of the SH₂D⁺ isotopic species, not yet experimentally observed, have been predicted to a guessed good accuracy.     

Theoretical prediction of vibrational spectra: The out-of-plane force field and vibrational spectra of pyridine

The harmonic force field for the out-of-plane vibrations of pyridine has been calculated from ab initio Hartree-Fock wavefunctions obtained with a 4–21 basis set of contracted Gaussians. To account for systematic errors, the calculated force constants were scaled, using only two independent sclae factors which were transferred unchanged from benzene. The resulting scaled quantum mechanical force field, which is strictly a priori in that it is not based on any experimental data on pyridine, predicts the 64 out-of-plane fundamental frequencies of pyridine and its deuterated isotopomers of C_2v symmetry with a mean deviation from experiment of only 8.5 cm^?1. Addition of polarization functions to the basis set for the nitrogen atom and refinement of the two scale factors by fitting them to the observed pyridine spectra produce no significant improvement in the fit. Assignments of the vibrational spectra are discussed.     

Ab initio SCF-Cl studies on the large amplitude bending motion of the water molecule: Rigid,semirigid, and nonrigid bender models for the Hamiltonian

Self-Consistent Field (SCF) and Configuration Interaction (CI) studies are performed on the bending mode of the water molecule using a double zeta plus polarization basis set. The ab initio points are fitted to a three-parameter double minimum potential consisting of a quadratic plus Lorentzian terms. The vibration-rotation energies are then evaluated using the large amplitude Hamiltonian developed by P. R. Bunker and co-workers at various levels of approximations. It is found that the calculated frequencies improve significantly as one proceeds from approximate H_b⁰⁰(ρ) to rigid bender H_b⁰(ρ) [P. R. Bunker and J. M. R. Stone, J. Mol. Spectrosc.41, 310–332 (1972)] to semirigid bender H_b⁰(r, ρ) [P. R. Bunker and P. M. Landsberg, J. Mol. Spectrosc.67, 374–385 (1977)] Hamiltonian. With H_b⁰(r, ρ), the ab initio calculated bending frequency ν₂ differs from the observed value (1595 cm^?1) by 30 cm^?1 and the barrier height is 12 229 cm^?1. It is also shown that ν₂ and its first four overtones are better calculated by 45–98 cm^?1 when the ab initio potential is used directly instead of the three-parameter analytic potential fitted to ab initio data. Finally, rotation bending energy levels are calculated for v₂ ≤ 3 and J ≤ 10 on the basis of a nonrigid bender Hamiltonian of A. R. Hoy and P. R. Bunker [J. Mol. Spectrosc.74, 1–8 (1979)], using the ab initio quadratic force field of P. Hennig, W. P. Kraemer, G. H. F. Diercksen, and G. Strey, [Theor. Chim. Acta47, 233–248 (1978)]. These results show that the accuracy of calculated force constants and frequencies is critically dependent not only on the size of the basis set but also on the number and spacing of the ab initio points used to derive the force field.     

Equilibrium structure of protonated cyanogen, HNCCN

The cubic force field of protonated cyanogen, HNCCN⁺, has been calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory employing correlation consistent bases of quadruple-zeta quality. Semi-experimental equilibrium structures have then been derived from the experimental ground-state rotational constants available for various isotopologues and the corresponding vibrational corrections calculated from the theoretical force fields. While a good agreement has been found with the pure theoretical best estimate of equilibrium geometry, computed at the CCSD(T) level of theory accounting for basis set truncation as well as including core correlation corrections, large discrepancies have been noted with the experimental substitution, r_s, as well as effective, r₀, structures.     

Anharmonic force field and equilibrium structure of nitric acid

The quadratic, cubic and semi-diagonal quartic force field of nitric acid has been calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory employing a basis set of triple-ζ quality. A semi-experimental equilibrium structure has been derived from experimental ground state rotational constants and rovibrational interaction parameters calculated from the ab initio force field. It is found that the A and B semi-experimental equilibrium rotational constants of the ¹⁸O isotopologues (for which the rotation of principal axes is large) cannot be accurately reproduced. This problem is discussed and a remedy is proposed. Finally, the semi-experimental structure is in agreement with the ab initio structure calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory using a basis set of at least quadruple-ζ quality and a core correlation correction, except for the long NO single bond for which the CCSD(T) value is too short due to inadequate treatment of electron correlation. The empirical structures are also determined and their accuracy is discussed. The best equilibrium structure is: r_e(NO_syn) = 1.209(1) Å, r_e(NO_anti) = 1.194(1) Å, r_e(NO) = 1.397(1) Å, r_e(OH) = 0.968(1) Å, ∠(ONO_syn) = 115.8(1)°, ∠(ONO_anti) = 114.2(1)° and ∠(NOH) = 102.2(1)°.     

Experimental and ab Initio Equilibrium Structure and Harmonic Force Field of 1,2,5-Oxadiazole

The equilibrium structure of 1,2,5-oxadiazole has been calculated ab initio at the CCSD(T) level using a polarized valence quadruple zeta basis set. The harmonic force field has also been calculated at the MP2/cc-pVTZ, B3LYP/6-311++G(3df, 2pd), and B3LYP/cc-pVQZ levels. These force fields have been subsequently scaled and further refined by fitting them to the experimental values of the vibrational fundamentals of three isotopomers and the centrifugal distortion constants of the parent molecule. The specific refinement of those scaled force constants particularly sensitive to the experimental data set was decisive for obtaining a more reliable harmonic potential. The resulting force fields are presented and used, together with the ground state rotational constants, to calculate an r(z) structure. The experimental r(0), r(s), and r(m) structures have also been determined. The different results have been compared and it is concluded that the ab initio structure is a good approximation of the equilibrium structure. It is also shown that the magnetic correction is not negligible, particularly for the inertial defect. Another interesting conclusion is that the anharmonicity of the C-H stretching might be unusually small. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

The Equilibrium Structure of Silyl Fluoride

The experimental equilibrium structure of silyl fluoride has been determined using new sets of accurate rotational constants that have recently been obtained by taking into account the most important interactions between the excited vibrational states. The equilibrium structure has also been calculated at the CCSD(T) level of theory with the cc-pVQZ+1 basis set (including corrections for the core correlation). The anharmonic force field up to semidiagonal quartic terms has been calculated at the MP2 level of theory and the equilibrium structure has been derived from the experimental rotational constants and the ab initio rovibrational interaction parameters. Finally, the average structure of both ²⁸SiH₃F and ²⁸SiD₃F has been reevaluated and used to derive the equilibrium structure. These structures are compared and the experimental structure is found to be in slight disagreement with the other ones. The preferred structure is obtained by calculating the median value of the different structures. The results are r_e(SiF)=1.5907 (9) Å, r_e(SiH)=1.4696 (13) Å, ∠_e(HSiF)=108.32(15)°, and ∠_e(HSiH)=110.60(14)°.     

An ab initio study of the in-plane harmonic force fields and fundamental vibration frequencies of cis- and trans-1,3-butadiene

The structure, in-plane force field, and fundamental vibration frequencies of trans- and cis-1,3-butadiene are calculated ab initio using the 4-31G basis set. Using a scaling procedure based on computational results from smaller molecules, the vibration frequencies for the trans-conformer calculated from the ab initio force constant matrix are found on average to be within 2.2% of the experimental values “harmonized” according to Dennison's rule. The values predicted for the cis-conformer, for which experimental spectroscopic data are only now becoming available, should facilitate the complete in-plane assignment of fundamentals in the near future.     

Ab initio study of the force constants of inorganic molecules ONF and NF3

The force constants of ONF and NF₃ have been determined from Hartree-Fock ab initio wavefunctions by the force method. Three different Gaussian basis sets, ranging from 7s3p augmented with functions on the bonds to 5s2p, were used for ONF. Only the smallest basis was applied to NF₃. The results show remarkable agreement with experiment, especially for the coupling constants. The NF stretching force constant is greatly overestimated in calculations with the 5s2p basis. The calculated force field makes it possible to exclude sets of force constants which are unphysical but compatible with the experimental data. The results show that even calculations with 5s2p basis sets can contribute to the determination of force fields.The experimental value of the $\text{ON}\text{β}$ coupling constant in ONF ranges between 0.27 and 0.54 mdyn; our calculations corroborate the higher value. An estimation of the calculated molecular geometries is given.     

An ab innitio study of the structure,in-plane harmonic force field,and fundamental vibration frequencies of cis- and trans-acrolein

The structure, in-plane force field, and fundamental vibration frequencies of trans- and cis-acrolein are computed ab initio using 4-31G and (7,3) basis sets. Using a scaling procedure and spectroscopic masses, the vibration frequencies are calculated from ab initio force constant matrices, and found on average to be within 2.5% of the experimental values in the case of the trans conformer. The values predicted for the cis conformer, for which only a few tentative assignments have been made for spectroscopic observations, should facilitate the complete assignment in the future. Further experimental studies are necessary to resolve the substantial disagreement found between theory and experiment with respect to the length of the central formal carbon-carbon single bond in the series of molecules trans-glyoxal, trans-acrolein, and trans-1,3-butadiene.