Examining the heavy p-block with a pseudopotential-based composite method: atomic and molecular applications of...

The relativistic pseudopotential variant of the correlation consistent composite approach (rp-ccCA) has been extended to lower p-block-containing molecules. The lower p-block is defined here as elements indium through iodine (In-I) and thallium through astatine (Tl-At). The accuracy of rp-ccCA has previously been established in a study of energetic properties of molecules containing 4p elements and thermodynamic data of 4d-containing molecules. In the current study, the atomic ionization potentials (IPs) and electron affinities (EAs) of In-I and Tl-At, as well as dissociation energies and enthalpies of formation of lower p-block mono-hydrides, mono-oxides, and dimers were determined with rp-ccCA. The compiled data set is referred to as the LP80 data set. The mean absolute deviation of the IPs and the EAs from the experimental data were 2.50 and 3.06 kcal mol(-1), respectively. Additionally, the total atomization energy for lead clusters (Pb(n), n = 2-6) was determined. For the lead clusters, a decrease in the total atomization energy was observed with the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling. The spin-orbit coupling of the molecules was determined with multireference configuration interaction, while scalar relativistic effects were accounted for within the pseudopotentials. The results obtained by rp-ccCA for the lower p-block support the utilization of the method in future studies where accurate energetic, spectroscopic, and thermodynamic data are necessary.