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Partial charges are a central concept in general chemistry and chemical biology, yet dozens of different computational definitions exist. In prior work [Cho et al., ChemPhysChem21, 688‐696 (2020)], we showed that these can be reduced to at most three 'principal components of ionicity'. The present study addressed the dependence of computed partial charges q on 1‐particle basis set and (for WFT methods) n‐particle correlation treatment or (for DFT methods) exchange‐correlation functional, for several representative partial charge definitions such as QTAIM, Hirshfeld, Hirshfeld‐I, HLY (electrostatic), NPA, and GAPT. Our findings show that semi‐empirical double hybrids can closely approach the CCSD(T) 'gold standard' for this property. In fact, owing to an error compensation in MP2, CCSD partial charges are further away from CCSD(T) than is MP2. The nonlocal correlation is important, especially when there is a substantial amount of nonlocal exchange. Employing range separation proves to be "mostly" not advantageous, while global hybrids perform optimally for 20%–30% Hartree‐Fock exchange across all charge types. Basis set convergence analysis shows that an augmented triple‐zeta heavy‐aug‐cc‐pV(T+d)Z basis set or a partially augmented jun‐cc‐pV(T+d)Z basis set is sufficient for Hirshfeld, Hirshfeld‐I, HLY, and GAPT charges. In contrast, QTAIM and NPA display slower basis set convergence. It is noteworthy that for both NPA and QTAIM, HF exhibits markedly slower basis set convergence than the correlation components of MP2 and CCSD. Triples corrections in CCSD(T), denoted as CCSD(T)‐CCSD, exhibit even faster basis set convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed mechanistic density functional theory (DFT) and coupled cluster study of Csp²−H activation in benzene and methyl acrylate by the catalyst RuClm(CO)n (m=2,3; n=0–4) is presented. We trace the entire reaction pathways from the precursor to the active form of the catalysts followed by catalytic hydroarylation and oxidative coupling reactions. Our results reveal that both computational methods provide very similar qualitative pictures, but only the coupled cluster DLPNO‐CCSD(T1) results are quantitatively consistent with experiment. At the latter level of theory, the Ru(II) and Ru(III) catalyst precursors transform into the same active form of the catalyst, which explains the experimental results. Oxidative addition is extremely endergonic, especially in the presence of CO. Oxidative hydrogen migration (OHM) occurs in complexes with a low Ru coordination number and leads to olefine hydroarylation. Strongly bound carbonyl ligands suppress this interaction. Concerted metalation‐deprotonation (CMD) of the aromatic C−H bond and σ‐bond metathesis mechanisms of catalyst regeneration do not involve Ru−H bonding and form the energetically favorable catalytic cycle of the oxidative coupling reaction. The key interaction in CMD mechanisms consists of proton abstraction by an inner‐sphere Cl‐anion. Carbonyl ligands facilitate CMD by weakening the Ru−Cl bond. An excess of CO slows the interaction by leading to replacement of the reactants in the Ru coordination sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double hybrid density functional theory arguably sits on the seamline between wavefunction methods and DFT: it represents a special case of Rung 5 on the "Jacob's Ladder" of John P. Perdew. For large and chemically diverse benchmarks such as GMTKN55, empirical double hybrid functionals with dispersion corrections can achieve accuracies approaching wavefunction methods at a cost not greatly dissimilar to hybrid DFT approaches, provided RI‐MP2 and/or another MP2 acceleration techniques are available in the electronic structure code. Only a half‐dozen or fewer empirical parameters are required. For vibrational frequencies, accuracies intermediate between CCSD and CCSD(T) can be achieved, and performance for other properties is encouraging as well. Organometallic reactions can likewise be treated well, provided static correlation is not too strong. Further prospects are discussed, including range‐separated and RPA‐based approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic coupling matrix elements are important to the theoretical description of electron transfer processes. However, they are notoriously difficult to obtain accurately from time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Here, we use the HAB11 benchmark dataset of coupling matrix elements to assess whether TDDFT using optimally tuned range-separated hybrid functionals, already known to be successful for the description of charge transfer excitation energies, also allows for an improved accuracy in the prediction of coupling matrix elements. We find that this approach outperforms all previous TDDFT calculations, based on semi-local, hybrid or non-tuned range-separated hybrid functionals, with a remaining average deviation as low as ∼12%. We discuss potential sources for the remaining error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomization reactions are among the most challenging tests for electronic structure methods. We use the first-principles Weizmann-4 (W4) computational thermochemistry protocol to generate the W4-17 dataset of 200 total atomization energies (TAEs) with 3σ confidence intervals of 1 kJ mol−1. W4-17 is an extension of the earlier W4-11 dataset; it includes first- and second-row molecules and radicals with up to eight non-hydrogen atoms. These cover a broad spectrum of bonding situations and multireference character, and as such are an excellent benchmark for the parameterization and validation of highly accurate ab initio methods (e.g., CCSD(T) composite procedures) and double-hybrid density functional theory (DHDFT) methods. The W4-17 dataset contains two subsets (i) a non-multireference subset of 183 systems characterized by dynamical or moderate nondynamical correlation effects (denoted W4-17-nonMR) and (ii) a highly multireference subset of 17 systems (W4-17-MR). We use these databases to evaluate the performance of a wide range of CCSD(T) composite procedures (e.g., G4, G4(MP2), G4(MP2)-6X, ROG4(MP2)-6X, CBS-QB3, ROCBS-QB3, CBS-APNO, ccCA-PS3, W1, W2, W1-F12, W2-F12, W1X-1, and W2X) and DHDFT methods (e.g., B2-PLYP, B2GP-PLYP, B2K-PLYP, DSD-BLYP, DSD-PBEP86, PWPB95, ωB97X-2(LP), and ωB97X-2(TQZ)). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocarbon cages are key reference materials for the validation and parameterization of computationally cost-effective procedures such as density functional theory (DFT), semiempirical molecular orbital theory, and molecular mechanics. We obtain accurate total atomization energies (TAEs) and heats of formation (Δ fH°298) for platonic and prismatic hydrocarbon cages by means of the W n-F12 explicitly correlated thermochemical protocols. We consider the following kinetically stable (CH) n polycyclic hydrocarbon cages: (i) platonic hydrocarbons (tetrahedrane, cubane, and dodecahedrane), (ii) prismatic hydrocarbons (triprismane, cubane, and pentaprismane), and (iii) one truncated tetrahedrane (octahedrane). Our best theoretical heat of formation for cubane (144.8 kcal mol−1) suggests that the experimental value adopted by the NIST thermochemical database (142.7 ± 1.2 kcal mol−1) should be revised upwards by ∼2 kcal mol−1. Our best heat of formation for dodecahedrane (20.2 kcal mol−1) suggests that the semiexperimental value (22.4 ± 1 kcal mol−1) should be revised downward by ∼2 kcal mol−1. We use our benchmark W n-F12 TAEs to evaluate the performance of a variety of computationally less demanding composite thermochemical procedures. These include the Gaussian- n (G n) and the complete basis set (CBS) methods. The CBS-QB3 and CBS-APNO procedures show relatively poor performance with root-mean-squared deviations (RMSDs) of 4.2 and 2.5 kcal mol−1, respectively. The best performers of the G n procedures are G4 and G3(MP2)B3 (RMSD = 0.5 and 0.6 kcal mol−1, respectively), while the worst performers are G3 and G4(MP2)-6X (RMSD = 2.1 and 2.9 kcal mol−1, respectively). Isodesmic and even homodesmotic reactions involving these species are surprisingly challenging targets for DFT computations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Such fifth-rung functionals approach the performance of com-posite ab initio methods such as G3 theory at a fraction of their computational cost, and with analytical derivatives avail-able. In this article, we provide a critical analysis of the varia-bles and components that maximize the accuracy of DHs. These include the selection of the exchange and correlation functionals, the coefficients of each component [density func-tional theory (DFT), exact exchange, and perturbative correla-tion in both the same spin and opposite spin terms], and the addition of an ad-hoc dispersion correction; we have termed these parametrizations "DSD-DFT" (Dispersion corrected, Spin-component scaled, Double-hybrid DFT). Somewhat surpris-ingly, the quality of DSD-DFT is only mildly dependent on the underlying DFT exchange and correlation components, with even DSD-LDA yielding respectable performance. Simple, non-empirical GGAs appear to work best, whereas meta-GGAs offer no advantage (with the notable exception of B95c). The best correlation components appear to be, in that order, B95c, P86, and PBEc, while essentially any good GGA exchange yields nearly identical results. On further validation with a wider variety of thermochemical, weak interaction, kinetic, and spectroscopic benchmarks, we find that the best functionals are, roughly in that order, DSD-PBEhB95, DSD-PBEP86, DSD-PBEPW91, and DSD-PBEPBE. In addition, DSD-PBEP86 and DSD-PBEPBE can be used without source code modifications in a wider variety of electronic structure codes. Sample job decks for several commonly used such codes are supplied as electronic Supporting Information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed for obtaining fundamental vibrational frequencies of methylamine, CH3NH2, and its deuterated variants CH3ND2, CD3NH2, and CD3ND2. The calculations were carried out using the CCSD(T) coupled cluster approximation with cc-pVTZ and cc-pVQZ basis sets, and by the DFT method with the semiempirical hybrid functional B97-1 with polarization consistent pc-2 and pc-3 basis sets. Reasonable performance of the DFT harmonic and ab initio harmonic calculations was found, which improved considerably upon combination of the harmonic fundamental frequencies with anharmonic corrections from the smaller, pc-2, basis. The computed anharmonic fundamental frequencies of methylamine isotopologues agree very well with the experimental values and represent a useful tool for assignment and analysis of the dominant resonances. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wehave obtained uniform frequency scaling factors λharm(for harmonic frequencies), λfund(for fundamentals),and λZPVE(for zero-point vibrational energies (ZPVEs))for the Weigend–Ahlrichs and other selected basis sets forMP2, SCS-MP2, and a variety of DFT functionals including double hybrids.For selected levels of theory, we have also obtained scaling factorsfor true anharmonic fundamentals and ZPVEs obtained from quartic forcefields. For harmonic frequencies, the double hybrids B2PLYP, B2GP-PLYP,and DSD-PBEP86 clearly yield the best performance at RMSD = 10–12cm–1for def2-TZVP and larger basis sets, comparedto 5 cm–1at the CCSD(T) basis set limit. For ZPVEs,again, the double hybrids are the best performers, reaching root-mean-squaredeviations (RMSDs) as low as 0.05 kcal/mol, but even mainstream functionalslike B3LYP can get down to 0.10 kcal/mol. Explicitly anharmonic ZPVEsonly are marginally more accurate. For fundamentals, however, simpleuniform scaling is clearly inadequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]