Gaussian‐2 theory for molecular energies of first‐ and second‐row compounds

A Way towards Reliable Predictive Methods for the Prediction of Physicochemical Properties of Chemicals Using the Group Contribution and other Methods

Physicochemical properties of chemicals as referred to in this review include, for example, thermodynamic properties such as heat of formation, boiling point, toxicity of molecules and the fate of molecules whenever undergoing or accelerating (catalytic) a chemical reaction and therewith about chemical equilibrium, that is, the equilibrium in chemical reactions. All such properties have been predicted in literature by a variety of methods. However, for the experimental scientist for whom such predictions are of relevance, the accuracies are often far from sufficient for reliable application We discuss current practices and suggest how one could arrive at better, that is sufficiently accurate and reliable, predictive methods. Some recently published examples have shown this to be possible in practical cases. In summary, this review focuses on methodologies to obtain the required accuracies for the chemical practitioner and process technologist designing chemical processes. Finally, something almost never explicitly mentioned is the fact that whereas for some practical cases very accurate predictions are required, for other cases a qualitatively correct picture with relatively low correlation coefficients can be sufficient as a valuable predictive tool. Requirements for acceptable predictive methods can therefore be significantly different depending on the actual application, which are illustrated using real-life examples, primarily with industrial relevance. Furthermore, for specific properties such as the octanol-water partition coefficient more close collaboration between research groups using different methods would greatly facilitate progress in the field of predictive modelling.

Semiempirical Quantum-Chemical Methods with Orthogonalization and Dispersion Corrections

We present two new semiempirical quantum-chemical methods with orthogonalization and dispersion corrections: ODM2 and ODM3 (ODM x). They employ the same electronic structure model as the OM2 and OM3 (OM x) methods, respectively. In addition, they include Grimme's dispersion correction D3 with Becke-Johnson damping and three-body corrections E ABC for Axilrod-Teller-Muto dispersion interactions as integral parts. Heats of formation are determined by adding explicitly computed zero-point vibrational energy and thermal corrections, in contrast to standard MNDO-type and OM x methods. We report ODM x parameters for hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine that are optimized with regard to a wide range of carefully chosen state-of-the-art reference data. Extensive benchmarks show that the ODM x methods generally perform better than the available MNDO-type and OM x methods for ground-state and excited-state properties, while they describe noncovalent interactions with similar accuracy as OM x methods with a posteriori dispersion corrections.

Computational studies of 2-(4-oxo-3-phenylthiazolidin-2-ylidene)malononitrile

The molecular structure of the 2-(4-oxo-3-phenylthiazolidin-2-ylidene) malononitrile (3) is calculated using DFT B3LYP/6-311G(d, p) method. The calculated geometric parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. The NBO calculations were performed to predict the natural atomic charges at the different atomic sites and study the different intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) interactions occurring in the studied system. The BD(2)C17-C19 → BD*(2)C14-C15, LP(2)O2 → BD*(1)N5-C9 and LP(1)N5 → BD*(2)C10-C11 ICT interactions causing stabilization of the system by 23.30, 30.63 and 52.48 kcal/mol, respectively. The two intense electronic transition bands observed experimentally at 249 nm and 296 nm are predicted using the TD-DFT calculations at 237.9 nm (f = 0.1618) and 276.4 nm (f = 0.3408), respectively. These electronic transitions are due to H-3 → L (94%) and H → L (95%) excitations, respectively.

Benson group additivity values of phosphines and phosphine oxides: Fast and accurate computational thermochemistry of organophosphorus species

Composite quantum chemical methods W1X-1 and CBS-QB3 are used to calculate the gas phase standard enthalpy of formation, entropy, and heat capacity of 38 phosphines and phosphine oxides for which reliable experimental thermochemical information is limited or simply nonexistent. For alkyl phosphines and phosphine oxides, the W1X-1, and CBS-QB3 results are mutually consistent and in excellent agreement with available G3X values and empirical data. In the case of aryl-substituted species, different computational methods show more variation, with G3X enthalpies being furthest from experimental values. The calculated thermochemical data are subsequently used to determine Benson group additivity contributions for 24 Benson groups and group pairs involving phosphorus, thereby allowing fast and accurate estimations of thermochemical data of many organophosphorus compounds of any complexity. Such data are indispensable, for example, in chemical process design or estimating potential hazards of new chemical compounds. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Thermochemical Properties: Enthalpy, Entropy, and Heat Capacity of C2-C3 Fluorinated Aldehydes. Radicals and Fluorocarbon Group Additivity

Thermochemical properties of fluorinated aldehydes are important for understanding their stability and reactions in the environment and in thermal processes. Structures and thermochemical properties of C1 to C3 fluorinated aldehydes are determined by use of computational chemistry. Standard enthalpies of formation for 30 C₂- and C₃-fluorinated aldehydes and 31 radicals were calculated with 11 different ab initio and density functional theory methods: CBS-APNO, CBS-4M, CBS-QB3, M06-2X, ωB97X, B3LYP, G-2, G-3, G-4, and W1U via several series of isodesmic reactions. Entropy, S°₂₉₈, and heat capacities, C _p( T)'s (300 ≤ T/K ≤ 1500) from vibration, translation, and external rotation contributions are calculated on the basis of the vibration frequencies and structures obtained from the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) density functional method. Potential barriers for the internal rotations are also from this method and used to calculate hindered rotor contributions to S°298 and Cp(T)'s using direct integration over energy levels of the internal rotational potential curves. Literature data on standard enthalpies of formation of fluorinated aldehydes are compared. Thermochemical properties for the fluorinated carbon groups CO/C/F, C/CO/F3, C/CO/F/H2, C/C/CO/F/H, C/C/CO/F2, and C/C/CO/F/H are developed. Non-next nearest neighbor terms for the strong interactions resulting from fluorine atoms on adjacent and on second nearest carbon atoms are unfortunately, needed. The required non-next-neighbor interactions significantly reduce the practical application of group additivity for thermochemical properties of highly fluorinated halocarbons.

A Trip to the Density Functional Theory Zoo: Warnings and Recommendations for the User

This account is written for general users of density functional theory (DFT) methods as well as experimental researchers who are new to the field and would like to conduct such calculations. Its main emphasis lies on how to find a way through the confusing ‘zoo’ of DFT by addressing common misconceptions and highlighting those modern methods that should ideally be used in calculations of energetic properties and geometries. A particular focus is on highly popular methods and the important fact that popularity does not imply accuracy. In this context, we present a new analysis of the openly available data published in Swart and co-workers’ famous annual ‘DFT poll’ (http://www.marcelswart.eu/dft-poll/) to demonstrate the existing communication gap between the DFT user and developer communities. We show that despite considerable methodological advances in the field, the perception of some parts of the user community regarding their favourite approaches has changed little. It is hoped that this account makes a contribution towards changing this status and that users are inspired to adjust their current computational protocols to accommodate strategies that are based on proven robustness, accuracy, and efficiency rather than popularity.

A theoretical study on one-electron redox potentials of organotrifluoroborate anions

The E° values of different kinds of organotrifluoroborate anions were investigated by using the M05-2X method with a PCM–UAHF model.

Extrapolation of high-order correlation energies: the WMS model

We have developed a new composite model chemistry method called WMS (Wuhan-Minnesota scaling method) with three characteristics: (1) a composite scheme to approximate the complete configuration interaction valence energy with the affordability condition of requiring no calculation more expensive than CCSD(T)/jul-cc-pV(T+d)Z, (2) low-cost methods for the inner-shell correlation contribution and scalar relativistic correction, and (3) accuracy comparable to methods with post-CCSD(T) components. The new method is shown to be accurate for the W4-17 database of 200 atomization energies with an average mean unsigned error (averaged with equal weight over strongly correlated and weakly correlated subsets of the data) of 0.45 kcal mol-1, and the performance/cost ratio of these results compares very favorably to previously available methods. We also assess the WMS method against the DBH24-W4 database of diverse barrier heights and the energetics of the reactions of three strongly correlated Criegee intermediates with water. These results demonstrate that higher-order correlation contributions necessary to obtain high accuracy for molecular thermochemistry may be successfully extrapolated from the lower-order components of CCSD(T) calculations, and chemical accuracy can now be obtained for larger and more complex molecules and reactions.

Accurate heats of formation of polycyclic saturated hydrocarbons predicted by using the XYG3 type of doubly hybrid functionals

Polycyclic saturated hydrocarbons (PSHs) are attractive candidates as hydrocarbon propellants. To assess their potential values, one of the key factors is to determine their energy contents, such as to calculate their heats of formation (HOF). In this work, we have calculated HOFs for a set of 36 PSHs including exo-Tricyclo[5.2.1.0^(2,6) ] decane, the principal component of the high-energy density hydrocarbon fuel commonly identified as JP-10. The results from B3LYP, B3LYP-D3BJ, M06-2X, B2PLYP, B2PLYP-D3BJ, and the XYG3 type of doubly hybrid (xDH) functionals are presented. It is demonstrated here that the xDH functionals yield accurate HOFs in good agreement with those from experiments or the G4 theory. In particular, XYGJ-OS, a low scaling xDH functional, is shown to hold the promise for accurate prediction of HOFs for PSHs of larger sizes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ab Initio Simulation of pH-Sensitive Biomarkers in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

An ab initio simulation scheme is introduced as a theoretical prescreening approach to facilitate and enhance the research for pH-sensitive biomarkers. The proton ¹H and carbon ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts of the recently published marker for extracellular pH, [1,5-¹³C₂]zymonic acid (ZA), and the as yet unpublished ( Z)-4-methyl-2-oxopent-3-enedioic acid (OMPD) were calculated with ab initio methods as a function of the pH. The influence of the aqueous solvent was taken into account either by an implicit solvent model or by explicit water molecules, where the latter improved the accuracy of the calculated chemical shifts considerably. The theoretically predicted chemical shifts allowed for a reliable NMR peak assignment. The p K_a value of the first deprotonation of ZA and OMPD was simulated successfully whereas the parametrization of the implicit solvent model does not allow for an accurate description of the second p K_a. The theoretical models reproduce the pH-induced chemical shift changes and the first p K_a with sufficient accuracy to establish the ab initio prescreening approach as a valuable support to guide the experimental search for pH-sensitive biomarkers.

Density functional study of guanidine-azole salts as energetic materials

A series of guanidine cations and azole anions were designed for use as energetic salts. Their geometrical structures were optimized by the density functional theory (DFT) method. The counter ions were matched by the similar magnitude of the electron affinity (EA) of the cation and the ionization potential (IP) of the anion. The densities, heats of formation, detonation parameters, and impact sensitivity were predicted. The incorporation of guanidine cations and diazole anions are favorable to form thermal stable salts except cation A1. The diaminoguanidine cation has greater impact on the density and detonation properties of the salts than the triaminoguanidine cation. 2-Amino-3-nitroamino-4,5-nitro-dinitropyrazole is the best anion for advancing the detonation performance among all the anions. Incorporating the C=O bond into the guanidine cations enhances the density and detonation performance of the guanidine-azole salts. The salts containing III1–III4 anion have better detonation properties than HMX, indicating that these salts are potential energetic compounds. Compared with RDX or HMX, some salts with diaminoguanidine cation display lower impact sensitivity.

Semi-empirical or non-empirical double-hybrid density functionals: which are more robust?

The development of non-empirical double-hybrid density functionals (DHDFs) is a very active research area with the number of approaches in this field having increased rapidly. At the same time, there is a lack of published work that provides a fair assessment and comparison between non-empirical and semi-empirical DHDFs on an equal footing. Herein, we close this gap and present a thorough analysis of both classes of DHDFs on the large GMTKN55 benchmark database for general main-group thermochemistry, kinetics, and noncovalent interactions [Goerigk et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 32184-32215]. In total, 115 variations of dispersion-corrected and -uncorrected DHDFs are tested, which will be condensed to an in-depth assessment of 31 methods: 19 non-empirical and 12 semi-empirical DHDFs. As such, our study represents the largest DHDF study ever conducted and can serve as an important benchmark informing method developers and users alike. Our results show that semi-empirical DHDFs are the most robust density functional approximations and more reliable and accurate than non-empirical ones. In fact, some non-empirical approaches are even outperformed by hybrid approaches or even dispersion-corrected and -uncorrected MP2 and SCS-MP2. SOS0-PBE0-2-D3(BJ) is the only exception and the only non-empirical DHDF that we can safely recommend for general applicability. However, it is still outperformed by six semi-empirical DHDFs, of which we would like to particularly recommend the following five: ωB97X-2-D3(BJ), DSD-BLYP-D3(BJ), DSD-PBEP86-D3(BJ), B2NC-PLYP-D3(BJ), and B2GPPLYP-D3(BJ). Our findings seriously question current trends in the field and they highlight that novel strategies have to be found in order to outperform the currently best density functional theory methods on the market. We hope that our study can function as an important cornerstone inspiring such a change of direction in the field.

Solving the Schrödinger equation of atoms and molecules with the free-complement chemical-formula theory: First-row atoms and small molecules

The free-complement chemical-formula theory (FC-CFT) for solving the Schrödinger equation (SE) was applied to the first-row atoms and several small molecules, limiting only to the ground state of a spin symmetry. Highly accurate results, satisfying chemical accuracy (kcal/mol accuracy for the absolute total energy), were obtained for all the cases. The local Schrödinger equation (LSE) method was applied for obtaining the solutions accurately and stably. For adapting the sampling method to quantum mechanical calculations, we developed a combined method of local sampling and Metropolis sampling. We also reported the method that leads the calculations to the accurate energies and wave functions as definite converged results with minimum ambiguities. We have also examined the possibility of the stationarity principle in the sampling method: it certainly works, though more extensive applications are necessary. From the high accuracy and the constant stability of the results, the present methodology seems to provide a useful tool for solving the SE of atoms and molecules.

Error-Controlled Exploration of Chemical Reaction Networks with Gaussian Processes

For a theoretical understanding of the reactivity of complex chemical systems, relative energies of stationary points on potential energy hypersurfaces need to be calculated to high accuracy. Due to the large number of intermediates present in all but the simplest chemical processes, approximate quantum chemical methods are required that allow for fast evaluations of the relative energies but at the expense of accuracy. Despite the plethora of benchmark studies, the accuracy of a quantum chemical method is often difficult to assess. Moreover, a significant improvement of a method's accuracy (e.g., through reparameterization or systematic model extension) is rarely possible. Here, we present a new approach that allows for the systematic, problem-oriented, and rolling improvement of quantum chemical results through the application of Gaussian processes. Due to its Bayesian nature, reliable error estimates are provided for each prediction. A reference method of high accuracy can be employed if the uncertainty associated with a particular calculation is above a given threshold. The new data point is then added to a growing data set in order to continuously improve the model and, as a result, all subsequent predictions. Previous predictions are validated by the updated model to ensure that uncertainties remain within the given confidence bound, which we call backtracking. We demonstrate our approach with the example of a complex chemical reaction network.

Preparation and reactivity of half-sandwich organic azide complexes of osmium

Organic azide complexes [Os(η5-C5H5)(κ1-N3R)(PPh3){P(OR1)3}]BPh4 (1, 2) [R = CH2C6H5 (a), CH2C6H4-4-CH3 (b), CH(CH3)C6H5 (c), C6H5 (d); R1 = Me (1), Et (2)] were prepared by allowing bromo-compounds [OsBr(η5-C5H5)(PPh3){P(OR1)3}] to react first with AgOTf and then with an excess of azide in toluene. Benzylazide complexes reacted in solution leading to imine derivatives [Os(η5-C5H5){κ1-NH[double bond, length as m-dash]C(R2)Ar}(PPh3){P(OR1)3}]BPh4 (3, 4) [R2 = H (a, b), CH3 (c); Ar = C6H5, C6H4-4-CH3; R1 = Me (3), Et (4)]. Phenylazide, on the other hand, reacted in solution affording the dinuclear dinitrogen complex [{Os(η5-C5H5)(PPh3)[P(OMe)3]}2(μ-N2)](BPh4)2 (5). Depending on the nature of the R substituent, the reaction of the p-cymene complex [OsCl2(η6-p-cymene)(PPh3){P(OEt)3}] with RN3 yielded imine [OsCl(η6-p-cymene){κ1-NH[double bond, length as m-dash]C(H)Ar}{P(OEt)3}]BPh4 (6) (Ar = C6H4-4-CH3) and amine derivatives [OsCl(η6-p-cymene)(κ1-NH2C6H5){P(OEt)3}]BPh4 (7). The complexes were characterised spectroscopically (IR, 1H, 31P, 15N NMR) and by the X-ray crystal structure determination of [{Os(η5-C5H5)(PPh3)[P(OMe)3]}2(μ-N2)](BPh4)2 (5).

Harmonizing accuracy and efficiency: A pragmatic approach to fragmentation of large molecules

Fragmentation methods offer an attractive alternative for ab initio treatment of large molecules and molecular clusters. However, balancing the accuracy and efficiency of these methods is a tight-rope-act. With this in view, we present an algorithm for automatic molecular fragmentation within Molecular Tailoring Approach (MTA) achieving this delicate balance. The automated code is tested out on a variety of molecules and clusters at the Hartree-Fock (HF)- and Møller-Plesset second order perturbation theory as well as density functional theory employing augmented Dunning basis sets. The results show remarkable accuracy and efficiency vis-à-vis the respective full calculations. Thus the present work forms an important step toward the development of an MTA-based black box code for implementation of HF as well as correlated quantum chemical calculations on large molecular systems.

Absolute and relative pKa predictions via a DFT approach applied to the SAMPL6 blind challenge

In this work, quantum mechanical methods were used to predict the microscopic and macroscopic pK_a values for a set of 24 molecules as a part of the SAMPL6 blind challenge. The SMD solvation model was employed with M06-2X and different basis sets to evaluate three pK_a calculation schemes (direct, vertical, and adiabatic). The adiabatic scheme is the most accurate approach (RMSE = 1.40 pK_a units) and has high correlation (R² = 0.93), with respect to experiment. This approach can be improved by applying a linear correction to yield an RMSE of 0.73 pK_a units. Additionally, we consider including explicit solvent representation and multiple lower-energy conformations to improve the predictions for outliers. Adding three water molecules explicitly can reduce the error by 2-4 pK_a units, with respect to experiment, whereas including multiple local minima conformations does not necessarily improve the pK_a prediction.

High Accuracy Quantum Chemical and Thermochemical Network Data for the Heats of Formation of Fluorinated and Chlorinated Methanes and Ethanes

Reliable heats of formation are reported for numerous fluorinated and chlorinated methane and ethane derivatives by means of an accurate thermochemical protocol, which involves explicitly correlated coupled-cluster calculations augmented with anharmonic, scalar relativistic, and diagonal Born-Oppenheimer corrections. The theoretical results, along with additional experimental data, are further enhanced with the help of the thermochemical network approach. For 28 species, out of 50, this study presents the best estimates, and discrepancies with previous reports are also highlighted. Furthermore, the effects of the less accurate theoretical data on the results yielded by thermochemical networks are discussed.

Metadynamics for training neural network model chemistries: A competitive assessment

Neural network model chemistries (NNMCs) promise to facilitate the accurate exploration of chemical space and simulation of large reactive systems. One important path to improving these models is to add layers of physical detail, especially long-range forces. At short range, however, these models are data driven and data limited. Little is systematically known about how data should be sampled, and "test data" chosen randomly from some sampling techniques can provide poor information about generality. If the sampling method is narrow, "test error" can appear encouragingly tiny while the model fails catastrophically elsewhere. In this manuscript, we competitively evaluate two common sampling methods: molecular dynamics (MD), normal-mode sampling, and one uncommon alternative, Metadynamics (MetaMD), for preparing training geometries. We show that MD is an inefficient sampling method in the sense that additional samples do not improve generality. We also show that MetaMD is easily implemented in any NNMC software package with cost that scales linearly with the number of atoms in a sample molecule. MetaMD is a black-box way to ensure samples always reach out to new regions of chemical space, while remaining relevant to chemistry near k_bT. It is a cheap tool to address the issue of generalization.

Survival of the most transferable at the top of Jacob's ladder: Defining and testing the ωB97M(2) double hybrid density functional

A meta-generalized gradient approximation, range-separated double hybrid (DH) density functional with VV10 non-local correlation is presented. The final 14-parameter functional form is determined by screening trillions of candidate fits through a combination of best subset selection, forward stepwise selection, and random sample consensus (RANSAC) outlier detection. The MGCDB84 database of 4986 data points is employed in this work, containing a training set of 870 data points, a validation set of 2964 data points, and a test set of 1152 data points. Following an xDH approach, orbitals from the ωB97M-V density functional are used to compute the second-order perturbation theory correction. The resulting functional, ωB97M(2), is benchmarked against a variety of leading double hybrid density functionals, including B2PLYP-D3(BJ), B2GPPLYP-D3(BJ), ωB97X-2(TQZ), XYG3, PTPSS-D3(0), XYGJ-OS, DSD-PBEP86-D3(BJ), and DSD-PBEPBE-D3(BJ). Encouragingly, the overall performance of ωB97M(2) on nearly 5000 data points clearly surpasses that of all of the tested density functionals. As a Rung 5 density functional, ωB97M(2) completes our family of combinatorially optimized functionals, complementing B97M-V on Rung 3, and ωB97X-V and ωB97M-V on Rung 4. The results suggest that ωB97M(2) has the potential to serve as a powerful predictive tool for accurate and efficient electronic structure calculations of main-group chemistry.

A theoretical study of the adiabatic and vertical ionization potentials of water

Theoretical predictions of the three lowest adiabatic and vertical ionization potentials of water were obtained from the Feller-Peterson-Dixon approach. This approach combines multiple levels of coupled cluster theory with basis sets as large as aug-cc-pV8Z in some cases and various corrections up to and including full configuration interaction theory. While agreement with experiment for the adiabatic ionization potential of the lowest energy ²B₁ state was excellent, differences for other states were much larger, sometimes exceeding 10 kcal/mol (0.43 eV). Errors of this magnitude are inconsistent with previous benchmark work on 52 adiabatic ionization potentials, where a root mean square of 0.20 kcal/mol (0.009 eV) was found. Difficulties in direct comparisons between theory and experiment for vertical ionization potentials are discussed. With regard to the differences found for the ²A₁/²Π_u and ²B₂ adiabatic ionization potentials, a reinterpretation of the experimental spectrum appears justified.

A general range-separated double-hybrid density-functional theory

A range-separated double-hybrid (RSDH) scheme which generalizes the usual range-separated hybrids and double hybrids is developed. This scheme consistently uses a two-parameter Coulomb-attenuating-method (CAM)-like decomposition of the electron-electron interaction for both exchange and correlation in order to combine Hartree-Fock exchange and second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) correlation with a density functional. The RSDH scheme relies on an exact theory which is presented in some detail. Several semi-local approximations are developed for the short-range exchange-correlation density functional involved in this scheme. After finding optimal values for the two parameters of the CAM-like decomposition, the RSDH scheme is shown to have a relatively small basis dependence and to provide atomization energies, reaction barrier heights, and weak intermolecular interactions globally more accurate or comparable to range-separated MP2 or standard MP2. The RSDH scheme represents a new family of double hybrids with minimal empiricism which could be useful for general chemical applications.

Green Functions and Self-Consistency: Insights From the Spherium Model

We report an exhaustive study of the performance of different variants of Green function methods for the spherium model in which two electrons are confined to the surface of a sphere and interact via a genuine long-range Coulomb operator. We show that the spherium model provides a unique paradigm to study electronic correlation effects from the weakly correlated regime to the strongly correlated regime, since the mathematics are simple while the physics is rich. We compare perturbative GW, partially self-consistent GW and second-order Green function (GF2) methods for the computation of ionization potentials, electron affinities, energy gaps, correlation energies as well as singlet and triplet neutral excitations by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE). We discuss the problem of self-screening in GW and show that it can be partially solved with a second-order screened exchange correction (SOSEX). We find that, in general, self-consistency deteriorates the results with respect to those obtained within perturbative approaches with a Hartree-Fock starting point. Finally, we unveil an important problem of partial self-consistency in GW: in the weakly correlated regime, it can produce artificial discontinuities in the self-energy caused by satellite resonances with large weights.

[Bis(imidazolyl)-BH2 ]+ [Bis(triazolyl)-BH2 ]- Ionic Liquids with High Density and Energy Capacity

[Bis(imidazolyl)-BH2 ]+ [bis(triazolyl)-BH2 ]- and [bis(imidazolyl)-BH2 ]+ [tris(triazolyl)-BH]- were synthesized, the cations and anions of which were functionalized with B-H groups and azoles. As B-H groups contribute to the hypergolic activity and azole groups improve the energy output, the resulting ionic liquids exhibited ignition delay times as low as 20 ms and energy outputs as high as 461.1 kJ mol-1 . In addition, densities (1.07-1.22 g cm-3 ) and density-specific impulse (≈360 s g cm-3 ) values reached a relatively high level. These ionic liquids show great promise as sustainable rocket fuels.

The Alexandria library, a quantum-chemical database of molecular properties for force field development

Data quality as well as library size are crucial issues for force field development. In order to predict molecular properties in a large chemical space, the foundation to build force fields on needs to encompass a large variety of chemical compounds. The tabulated molecular physicochemical properties also need to be accurate. Due to the limited transparency in data used for development of existing force fields it is hard to establish data quality and reusability is low. This paper presents the Alexandria library as an open and freely accessible database of optimized molecular geometries, frequencies, electrostatic moments up to the hexadecupole, electrostatic potential, polarizabilities, and thermochemistry, obtained from quantum chemistry calculations for 2704 compounds. Values are tabulated and where available compared to experimental data. This library can assist systematic development and training of empirical force fields for a broad range of molecules.

Synthesis and Properties of Triaminocyclopropenium Cation Based Ionic Liquids as Hypergolic Fluids

A novel family of hydrophobic triaminocyclopropenium cation based ionic liquids have been synthesized, and their structures and physicochemical properties characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and hypergolic tests. The experimental results showed that all of these ionic liquids exhibited the expected hypergolic reactivity with the oxidizer white fuming nitric acid. Among them, the hypergolic ionic liquid based on the cyanoimidazolylborohydride anion showed excellent integrated properties, including high decomposition temperature (194 °C), high density (0.95 g cm^-3 ), moderate viscosity (44 MPa s), ultrafast ignition delay time (6 ms), and high specific impulse (301.9 s); this demonstrates its potential as an environmentally friendly alternative to toxic hydrazine derivatives.

GW100: Comparison of Methods and Accuracy of Results Obtained with the WEST Code

The reproducibility of calculations carried out within many-body perturbation theory at the G₀ W₀ level is assessed for 100 closed shell molecules and compared to that of density functional theory. We consider vertical ionization potentials (VIP) and electron affinities (VEA) obtained with five different codes: BerkeleyGW, FHI-aims, TURBOMOLE, VASP, and WEST. We review the approximations and parameters that control the accuracy of G₀ W₀ results in each code, and we discuss in detail the effect of extrapolation techniques for the parameters entering the WEST code. Differences between the VIP and VEA computed with the various codes are within ∼60 and ∼120 meV, respectively, which is up to four times larger than in the case of the best results obtained with DFT codes. Vertical ionization potentials are validated against experiment and CCSD(T) quantum chemistry results showing a mean absolute relative error of ∼4% for data obtained with WEST. Our analysis of the differences between localized orbitals and plane-wave implementations points out molecules containing Cu, I, Ga, and Xe as major sources of discrepancies, which call for a re-evaluation of the pseudopotentials used for these systems in G₀ W₀ calculations.

Composite and Low-Cost Approaches for Molecular Crystal Structure Prediction

Molecular crystal structure prediction (CSP) requires evaluating differences in lattice energy between candidate crystal structures accurately and efficiently. In this work, we explore and compare several low-cost alternatives to dispersion-corrected density-functional theory (DFT) in the plane-waves/pseudopotential approximation, the most accurate and general approach used for CSP at present. Three types of low-cost methods are considered: DFT with a small basis set of finite-support numerical orbitals (the SIESTA method), dispersion-corrected Gaussian small or minimal-basis-set Hartree-Fock and DFT with additional empirical corrections (HF-3c and PBEh-3c), and self-consistent-charge dispersion-corrected density-functional tight binding (SCC-DFTB3-D3). In addition, we study the performance of composite methods that comprise a geometry optimization using a low-cost approach followed by a single-point calculation using the accurate but comparatively expensive B86bPBE-XDM functional. All methods were tested for their abilities to produce absolute lattice energies, relative lattice energies, and crystal geometries. We show that assessing various methods by their ability to produce absolute lattice energies can be misleading and that relative lattice energies are a much better indicator of performance in CSP. The EE14 set of relative solubilities of homochiral and heterochiral chiral crystals is proposed for relative lattice-energy benchmarking. Our results show that PBE-D2 plus a DZP basis set of numerical orbitals coupled with a final B86bPBE-XDM single-point calculation gives excellent performance at a fraction of the cost of a full B86bPBE-XDM calculation, although the results are sensitive to the particular details of the computational protocol. The B86bPBE-XDM//PBE-D2/DZP method was subsequently tested in a practical CSP application from our recent work on the crystal structure of the enantiopure and racemate forms of 1-aza[6]helicene, a chiral organic semiconductor. Our results show that this multilevel method is able to correctly reproduce the energy ranking of both crystal forms.

Straightening the Hierarchical Staircase for Basis Set Extrapolations: A Low-Cost Approach to High-Accuracy Computational Chemistry

Because the one-electron basis set limit is difficult to reach in correlated post-Hartree-Fock ab initio calculations, the low-cost route of using methods that extrapolate to the estimated basis set limit attracts immediate interest. The situation is somewhat more satisfactory at the Hartree-Fock level because numerical calculation of the energy is often affordable at nearly converged basis set levels. Still, extrapolation schemes for the Hartree-Fock energy are addressed here, although the focus is on the more slowly convergent and computationally demanding correlation energy. Because they are frequently based on the gold-standard coupled-cluster theory with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)], correlated calculations are often affordable only with the smallest basis sets, and hence single-level extrapolations from one raw energy could attain maximum usefulness. This possibility is examined. Whenever possible, this review uses raw data from second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory, as well as CCSD, CCSD(T), and multireference configuration interaction methods. Inescapably, the emphasis is on work done by the author's research group. Certain issues in need of further research or review are pinpointed.

Pair natural orbital and canonical coupled cluster reaction enthalpies involving light to heavy alkali and alkaline earth metals: the importance of sub-valence correlation

In this work, we tested canonical and domain based pair natural orbital coupled cluster methods (CCSD(T) and DLPNO-CCSD(T), respectively) for a set of 32 ligand exchange and association/dissociation reaction enthalpies involving ionic complexes of Li, Be, Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Pb(ii). Two strategies were investigated: in the former, only valence electrons were included in the correlation treatment, giving rise to the computationally very efficient FC (frozen core) approach; in the latter, all non-ECP electrons were included in the correlation treatment, giving rise to the AE (all electron) approach. Apart from reactions involving Li and Be, the FC approach resulted in non-homogeneous performance. The FC approach leads to very small errors (<2 kcal mol^-1) for some reactions of Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Pb, while for a few reactions of Ca and Ba deviations up to 40 kcal mol^-1 have been obtained. Large errors are both due to artificial mixing of the core (sub-valence) orbitals of metals and the valence orbitals of oxygen and halogens in the molecular orbitals treated as core, and due to neglecting core-core and core-valence correlation effects. These large errors are reduced to a few kcal mol^-1 if the AE approach is used or the sub-valence orbitals of metals are included in the correlation treatment. On the technical side, the CCSD(T) and DLPNO-CCSD(T) results differ by a fraction of kcal mol^-1, indicating the latter method as the perfect choice when the CPU efficiency is essential. For completely black-box applications, as requested in catalysis or thermochemical calculations, we recommend the DLPNO-CCSD(T) method with all electrons that are not covered by effective core potentials included in the correlation treatment and correlation-consistent polarized core valence basis sets of cc-pwCVQZ(-PP) quality.