Molecular structure and IR spectra of bromomethanes by DFT and post-Hartree-Fock MP2 and CCSD(T) calculations

Abstract

The molecular parameters (geometries, rotational constants, dipole moments) and vibrational IR spectra (harmonic wavenumbers, absolute intensities) of bromomethanes (CH3Br, CH2Br2, CHBr3, CBr4) are predicted by a density functional theory with the hybrid Becke3-LYP functional (DFT) and post-Hartree-Fock methods (MP2, CCSD(T)) using a 6-311G(2d,2p)-type basis set. The MP2 calculations are carried out with different numbers of frozen core orbitals to find how the number of bromine orbitals used for electron correlation influences the predicted molecular parameters and IR spectra of the species in question. Three options were used: (a) all electrons (full), with both the core and valence orbitals considered; (b) partial frozen core option (pfc), when the orbitals up to 3p of bromine were frozen; and (c) full frozen core option (ffc), when all core orbitals up to 3d were frozen. The CCSD(T) calculations for geometric parameters were carried out with both the pfc and ffc options, while for the prediction of the IR spectra only the ffc option was used. In addition, the calculations at the DFT and MP2(pfc) levels with inclusion of f functions on carbon and bromine atoms in bromomethanes (and also the CCSD(T)(pfc) calculations for CH3Br) were carried out to predict the changes in the geometric parameters and/or vibrational IR spectra of the molecules upon inclusion of f functions The geometries of bromomethanes (particularly the CBr bond lengths) are predicted better by the DFT and CCSD(T) calculations when the f functions (in particular on bromine atom) are included, while the MP2 calculations without f functions are good enough for correct predictions of the molecular geometries. The molecular parameters and vibrational IR spectra of bromomethanes in question and their deuterated species predicted by the DFT, MP2(ffc) and CCSD(T)(ffc) with the 6-311G(2d,2p) basis set agree well with the available experimental data.