Exchange-hole Dipole Moment Research Articles

Comprehensive Benchmarking of a Density-Dependent Dispersion Correction.

Standard density functional approximations cannot accurately describe interactions between nonoverlapping densities. A simple remedy consists in correcting for the missing interactions a posteriori, adding an attractive energy term summed over all atom pairs. The density-dependent energy correction, dDsC, presented herein, is constructed from dispersion coefficients computed on the basis of a generalized gradient approximation to Becke and Johnson's exchange-hole dipole moment formalism. dDsC also relies on an extended Tang and Toennies damping function accounting for charge-overlap effects. The comprehensive benchmarking on 341 diverse reaction energies divided into 18 illustrative test sets validates the robust performance and general accuracy of dDsC for describing various intra- and intermolecular interactions. With a total MAD of 1.3 kcal mol(-1), B97-dDsC slightly improves the results of M06-2X and B2PLYP-D3 (MAD = 1.4 kcal mol(-1) for both) at a lower computational cost. The density dependence of both the dispersion coefficients and the damping function makes the approach especially valuable for modeling redox reactions and charged species in general.

Density-functional approaches to noncovalent interactions: A comparison of dispersion corrections (DFT-D), exchange-hole dipole moment (XDM) theory, and specialized functionals

A systematic study of techniques for treating noncovalent interactions within the computationally efficient density functional theory (DFT) framework is presented through comparison to benchmark-quality evaluations of binding strength compiled for molecular complexes of diverse size and nature. In particular, the efficacy of functionals deliberately crafted to encompass long-range forces, a posteriori DFT+dispersion corrections (DFT-D2 and DFT-D3), and exchange-hole dipole moment (XDM) theory is assessed against a large collection (469 energy points) of reference interaction energies at the CCSD(T) level of theory extrapolated to the estimated complete basis set limit. The established S22 [revised in J. Chem. Phys. 132, 144104 (2010)] and JSCH test sets of minimum-energy structures, as well as collections of dispersion-bound (NBC10) and hydrogen-bonded (HBC6) dissociation curves and a pairwise decomposition of a protein-ligand reaction site (HSG), comprise the chemical systems for this work. From evaluations of accuracy, consistency, and efficiency for PBE-D, BP86-D, B97-D, PBE0-D, B3LYP-D, B970-D, M05-2X, M06-2X, ωB97X-D, B2PLYP-D, XYG3, and B3LYP-XDM methodologies, it is concluded that distinct, often contrasting, groups of these elicit the best performance within the accessible double-ζ or robust triple-ζ basis set regimes and among hydrogen-bonded or dispersion-dominated complexes. For overall results, M05-2X, B97-D3, and B970-D2 yield superior values in conjunction with aug-cc-pVDZ, for a mean absolute deviation of 0.41 - 0.49 kcal/mol, and B3LYP-D3, B97-D3, ωB97X-D, and B2PLYP-D3 dominate with aug-cc-pVTZ, affording, together with XYG3/6-311+G(3df,2p), a mean absolute deviation of 0.33 - 0.38 kcal/mol.

A System-Dependent Density-Based Dispersion Correction.

Density functional approximations fail to provide a consistent description of weak molecular interactions arising from small electron density overlaps. A simple remedy to correct for the missing interactions is to add a posteriori an attractive energy term summed over all atom pairs in the system. The density-dependent energy correction, presented herein, is applicable to all elements of the periodic table and is easily combined with any electronic structure method, which lacks the accurate treatment of weak interactions. Dispersion coefficients are computed according to Becke and Johnson's exchange-hole dipole moment (XDM) formalism, thereby depending on the chemical environment of an atom (density, oxidation state). The long-range ∼R(-6) potential is supplemented with higher-order correction terms (∼R(-8) and ∼R(-10)) through the universal damping function of Tang and Toennies. A genuine damping factor depending on (iterative) Hirshfeld (overlap) populations, atomic ionization energies, and two adjustable parameters specifically fitted to a given DFT functional is also introduced. The proposed correction, dDXDM, dramatically improves the performance of popular density functionals. The analysis of 30 (dispersion corrected) density functionals on 145 systems reveals that dDXDM largely reduces the errors of the parent functionals for both inter- and intramolecular interactions. With mean absolute deviations (MADs) of 0.74-0.84 kcal mol(-1), PBE-dDXDM, PBE0-dDXDM, and B3LYP-dDXDM outperform the computationally more demanding and most recent functionals such as M06-2X and B2PLYP-D (MAD of 1.93 and 1.06 kcal mol(-1), respectively).

Electron localization and the second moment of the exchange hole

AbstractThe localization tensor, which is a global measure of the itinerant character of the electrons, has been defined by Resta as the second cumulant moment of the position operator per electron. It seems to be a meaningful parameter not only for solids but also for finite molecular systems. In the independent‐particle limit, this quantity can be interpreted as the density‐weighted average of the second moment of the exchange hole. After examining several possible local measures based on the moment analysis of the exchange hole, it turns out that the density weighted squared exchange hole dipole moment might be a useful local indicator of electron localization. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009

The use of atomic intrinsic polarizabilities in the evaluation of the dispersion energy

The recent approach presented by Becke and Johnson [J. Chem. Phys. 122, 154104 (2005); 123, 024101 (2005); 123, 154101 (2005); 124, 174104 (2006); 124, 014104 (2006)] for the evaluation of dispersion interactions based on the properties of the exchange-hole dipole moment is combined with a Hirshfeld-type partitioning for the molecular polarizabilities into atomic contributions, recently presented by some of the present authors [A. Krishtal et al., J. Chem. Phys. 125, 034312 (2006)]. The results on a series of nine dimers, involving neon, methane, ethene, acetylene, benzene, and CO(2), taken at their equilibrium geometry, indicate that when the C(6), C(8), and C(10) terms are taken into account, the resulting dispersion energies can be obtained deviating 3% or 8% from high level literature data [E. R. Johnson and A. D. Becke, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 174104 (2006)], without the use of a damping function, the only outlier being the parallel face-to-face benzene dimer.

Exchange-hole dipole moment and the dispersion interaction revisited

We have recently introduced a model of the dispersion interaction based on the position-dependent dipole moment of the exchange hole [J. Chem. Phys. 122, 154104 (2005)]. The original derivation, involving simple dipole-induced-dipole electrostatics, was somewhat heuristic, however, and lacking in rigor. Here we present a much more satisfying derivation founded on second-order perturbation theory in the closure approximation and a semiclassical evaluation of the relevant interaction integrals. Expressions for C6, C8, and C10 dispersion coefficients are obtained in a remarkably straightforward manner. Their values agree very well with ab initio reference data on dispersion coefficients between the atoms H, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe. We also highlight the importance of the exchange-hole contribution to the dispersion coefficients, especially to C6.

On the exchange-hole model of London dispersion forces

First-principles derivation is given for the heuristic exchange-hole model of London dispersion forces by Becke and Johnson [J. Chem. Phys. 122, 154104 (2005)]. A one-term approximation is used for the dynamic charge density response function, and it is shown that a central nonempirical ingredient of the approximate nonexpanded dispersion energy is the charge density autocorrelation function, a two-particle property, related to the exchange-correlation hole. In the framework of a dipolar approximation of the Coulomb interaction around the molecular origin, one obtains the so-called Salem-Tang-Karplus approximation to the C(6) dispersion coefficient. Alternatively, by expanding the Coulomb interaction around the center of charge (centroid) of the exchange-correlation hole associated with each point in the molecular volume, a multicenter expansion is obtained around the centroids of electron localization domains, always in terms of the exchange-correlation hole. In order to get a formula analogous to that of Becke and Johnson, which involves the exchange-hole only, further assumptions are needed, related to the difficulties of obtaining the expectation value of a two-electron operator from a single determinant. Thus a connection could be established between the conventional fluctuating charge density model of London dispersion forces and the notion of the "exchange-hole dipole moment" shedding some light on the true nature of the approximations implicit in the Becke-Johnson model.

Van der Waals interactions from the exchange hole dipole moment: Application to bio-organic benchmark systems

We have recently completed the development of a simple model of the dispersion interaction based on the dipole moment of the exchange hole [E.R. Johnson, A.D. Becke, J. Chem. Phys. 124 (2006) 174104, and references therein]. The model generates remarkably accurate dispersion coefficients, geometries, and binding energies of intermolecular complexes. In this work, the model is tested on three biochemical benchmark systems: binding energies of nucleobase pairs, relative conformational energies of the alanine dipeptide, and the anomeric effect from conformational energies of substituted tetrahydropyrans and cyclohexanes. The model gives binding energies and conformational energies in good agreement with correlated ab initio reference data.

Exchange-hole dipole moment and the dispersion interaction: High-order dispersion coefficients

In recent publications [A. D. Becke and E. R. Johnson, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 154104 (2005); E. R. Johnson and A. D. Becke 123, 024101 (2005)] we have demonstrated that the position-dependent dipole moment of the exchange hole can be used to generate dispersion interactions between closed-shell systems. Remarkably accurate C6 coefficients and intermolecular potential-energy surfaces can be obtained from Hartree-Fock occupied orbitals and polarizability data alone. In the present work, our model is extended to predict C8 and C10 coefficients as well. These higher-order coefficients are obtained as easily as C6 and with comparable accuracy.

Exchange-hole dipole moment and the dispersion interaction

A simple model is presented in which the instantaneous dipole moment of the exchange hole is used to generate a dispersion interaction between nonoverlapping systems. The model is easy to implement, requiring no electron correlation (in the usual sense) or time dependence, and has been tested on various atomic and molecular pairs. The resulting C6 dispersion coefficients are remarkably accurate.