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Frequency Scale Factors for Some Double-Hybrid Density Functional Theory Procedures: Accurate Thermochemical
1School of Chemistry and ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
New double-hybrid density functional theory (DH-DFT) methods offer improved accuracy and robustness for calculating thermochemical quantities. The DSD-PBE-P86/aug'-cc-pVTZ+d combination is recommended for geometry optimization and frequency calculations in high-level composite methods.
Area of Science:
- Computational Chemistry
- Quantum Chemistry
- Theoretical Chemistry
Background:
- Accurate thermochemical quantities are crucial for high-level composite methods in computational chemistry.
- Traditional density functional theory (DFT) methods like B3-LYP have limitations in accuracy and robustness.
- Double-hybrid density functional theory (DH-DFT) methods offer potential improvements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of various DH-DFT methods for geometry and frequency calculations.
- To determine scale factors for thermochemical quantities (ZPVE, ΔH298, S298) using DH-DFT.
- To identify optimal DH-DFT protocols for use in high-level composite methods.
Main Methods:
- Obtained geometries and frequency scale factors for several DH-DFT procedures.
- Evaluated performance for thermochemical quantities (ZPVE, ΔH298, S298).
- Compared DH-DFT performance against the established B3-LYP/cc-pVTZ+d protocol using the W2X procedure.
Main Results:
- Contemporary DH-DFT methods (DuT-D3, DSD-types) show slight performance improvements over B3-LYP.
- DH-DFT methods exhibit enhanced robustness with smaller maximum deviations.
- The DSD-PBE-P86/aug"-cc-pVTZ+d combination demonstrated a slight edge in performance.
- Recommended scale factors for DSD-PBE-P86/aug"-cc-pVTZ+d: 0.9830 (ZPVE), 0.9876 (ΔH298), 0.9923 (S298).
Conclusions:
- DH-DFT methods provide a more robust and slightly more accurate alternative to B3-LYP for thermochemical calculations.
- The DSD-PBE-P86/aug"-cc-pVTZ+d protocol is recommended for general use in geometry optimization and frequency calculations.
- These findings are particularly relevant for high-level composite methods like the WnX series.
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