Origin‐independent sum over states simulations of magnetic and electronic circular dichroism spectra via the localized orbital/local origin method

Although electronic and magnetic circular dichroism (ECD, MCD) spectra reveal valuable details about molecular geometry and electronic structure, quantum‐chemical simulations significantly facilitate their interpretation. However, the simulated results may depend on the choice of coordinate origin. Previously (?těpánek and Bou?, J. Comput. Chem. 2013, 34, 1531), the sum‐over‐states (SOS) methodology was found useful for efficient MCD computations. Approximate wave functions were “resolved” using time‐dependent density functional theory, and the origin‐dependence was avoided by placing the origin to the center of mass of the investigated molecule. In this study, a more elegant way is proposed, based on the localized orbital/local origin (LORG) formalism, and a similar approach is also applied to generate ECD intensities. The LORG‐like approach yields fully origin‐independent ECD and MCD spectra. The results thus indicate that the computationally relatively cheap SOS simulations open a new way of modeling molecular properties, including those involving the origin‐dependent magnetic dipole moment operator. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.