BeCH2: the simplest metal carbene. High levels of theory

The simplest metal carbene, BeCH2, is experimentally unknown. Its isomer, HBeCH, lies higher in energy, but has been detected by the infrared matrix isolation [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 6097]. In the present study the ground and low-lying excited states of the BeCH2 and HBeCH isomers were investigated using state-of-the-art ab initio methods, including coupled-cluster theory with up to full quadruple excitations (CCSDTQ), and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) with multireference configuration interaction with single and double excitations (MRCISD). The relative energies were obtained using the focal point analysis combined with large correlation-consistent cc-pCVXZ basis sets (X = D, T, Q, 5) and were extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit. The (3)B1 state of BeCH2 (C(2v) symmetry) is the global minimum on the ground triplet potential energy surface (PES). The (3)Σ(-) state of the linear isomer HBeCH is located 4.9 kcal mol(-1) above the global minimum, at the CCSDTQ/CBS level of theory. The BeCH2 and HBeCH isomers are connected through the (3)A" transition state lying 46.1 kcal mol(-1) above the global minimum. The higher-lying energy HBeCH structure has much larger Be-C bond dissociation energy (126.6 kcal mol(-1), cf. BDE(BeCH2) = 62.1 kcal mol(-1)). The lowest excited state of BeCH2 is the open-shell (1)B1 state, with a relative energy of only 4.9 kcal mol(-1) above the global minimum, followed by (1)A1 state (16.8 kcal mol(-1)) at the MRCISD/cc-pCVQZ level of theory. For the HBeCH isomer the lowest-energy excited states are (1)Δ and (1)Σ(+), lying about 30 kcal mol(-1) above the global minimum. For the ground state of BeCH2 the fundamental vibrational frequencies computed using second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2) at the CCSD(T)/cc-pCVQZ level are reported. We hope that our highly accurate theoretical results will assist in the experimental identification of BeCH2.