Computational study on thermochemical properties for perhalogenated methanols (CX3OH) (X = F, Cl, Br)

The perhalogenated methanols (CX3OH; X = F, Cl, and Br) are found in the atmosphere as products of the degradation of halocarbons. The thermochemical properties for these molecules have been calculated at the HF, MP2, and B3LYP levels of theories in conjunction with six different basis sets as well as at G3MP2 and CBS-QB3. Calculated properties include the gas-phase enthalpies of formation (ΔfH(0)), gas-phase acidities (ΔacidG(0)), gas-phase proton affinity, and bond dissociation energies of the C-O and O-H bonds of CX3OH. Excellent agreement is found between the results obtained using G3MP2 and CBS-QB3 methods and the available experimental data. The results obtained using MP2 are more consistent with the experimental, G3MP2, and CBS-QB3 values than those computed at B3LYP. In general, the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set when combined with the HF or MP2 level of theory produced better results than other basis sets considered in this study.