Toward universal substituent constants: Model chemistry sensitivity of descriptors from the quantum theory of atoms...

The quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) provides a theoretical foundation to determine the properties of functional groups through additive atomic contributions. Many studies have used QTAIM in their analyses with a variety of electronic structure methods, but it is unknown if the properties measured using one model chemistry, the combination of the electronic structure method and basis set, can be compared to those measured by another. Here, we evaluate the sensitivity of QTAIM functional group and bond critical point properties using six functionals and seven basis sets. High-level B2PLYPD3-BJ/aug-cc-pV5Z reference values are provided for 116 functional groups and the property sensitivity with respect to these values are evaluated based on absolute deviations and by assessing linear relationships. Functional group properties, including charges, dipoles, quadrupoles and volumes, were found to be mostly insensitive to choice of computational model chemistry. However, due to structural and topological inconsistencies, the 6-31G(d) basis set is not recommended for use. Bond critical point properties varied with choice of model chemistry, but models incorporating hybrid functionals and triple-ζ basis sets provided values suitable for use in regression studies.