Mixed-Reference Spin-Flip Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (MRSF-TDDFT) as a Simple yet Accurate Method for Diradicals and Diradicaloids

Due to their multiconfigurational nature featuring strong electron correlation, accurate description of diradicals and diradicaloids is a challenge for quantum chemical methods. The recently developed mixed-reference spin-flip (MRSF)-TDDFT method is capable of describing the multiconfigurational electronic states of these systems while avoiding the spin-contamination pitfalls of SF-TDDFT. Here, we apply MRSF-TDDFT to study the adiabatic singlet-triplet (ST) gaps in a series of well-known diradicals and diradicaloids. On average, MRSF displays a very high prediction accuracy of the adiabatic ST gaps with the mean absolute error (MAE) amounting to 0.14 eV. In addition, MRSF is capable of accurately describing the effect of the Jahn-Teller distortion occurring in the trimethylenemethane diradical, the violation of the Hund rule in a series of the didehydrotoluene diradicals, and the potential energy surfaces of the didehydrobenzene (benzyne) diradicals. A convenient criterion for distinguishing diradicals and diradicaloids is suggested on the basis of the easily obtainable quantities. In all of these cases, which are difficult for the conventional methods of density functional theory (DFT), MRSF shows results consistent with the experiment and the high-level ab initio computations. Hence, the present study documents the reliability and accuracy of MRSF and lays out the guidelines for its application to strongly correlated molecular systems.

Negative Ion Photoelectron Spectroscopy Confirms the Prediction of the Relative Energies of the Low-Lying Electronic States of 2,7-Naphthoquinone

Cryogenic negative ion photoelectron (NIPE) spectra of the radical anion of 2,7-naphthoquinone (NQ^•-) have been taken at 20 K, using 193, 240, 266, 300, and 355 nm lasers for electron detachment. The electron affinity of the NQ diradical is determined from the first resolved peak in the NIPE spectrum to be 2.880 ± 0.010 eV. CASPT2/aug-cc-pVDZ calculations predict with reasonable accuracy the positions of the 0-0 bands in the three lowest electronic states of NQ. In addition, the Franck-Condon factors calculated from the CASPT2/aug-cc-pVDZ optimized geometries, vibrational frequencies, and normal modes successfully simulate the vibrational structures in these bands. The NIPE spectrum of NQ^•- confirms that, as predicted, ³B₂ is the ground state, and the ¹B₂ and ¹A₁ states are, respectively, 12.7 and 16.4 kcal/mol higher in energy than the triplet ground state. The experimental value of Δ E_ST = 12.7 kcal/mol in NQ and the finding that ¹B₂ is the lower energy of the two singlet states confirm the results of the previous calculations on NQ. These calculations predicted an increase in Δ E_ST on the substitution of both methylene groups in 2,7-naphthoquinodimethane (NQDM) by oxygens in NQ, thus providing a dramatic contrast to the decrease of 17.5 kcal/mol in Δ E_ST found for substitution of one methylene group by one oxygen on going from trimethylenemethane (TMM) to oxyallyl (OXA).