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Since the discovery of a formal quintuple bond in Ar'CrCrAr' (CrCr = 1.835 A) by Power and co-workers in 2005, many efforts have been dedicated to isolating dichromium species featuting quintuple-bond character. In the present study we investigate the electronic configuration of several, recently synthesized dichromium species with tigands using nitrogen to coordinate the metal centers. The bimetallic bond distances of Power's compound and Cr2-diazadiene (1) (CrCr = 1.803 A) are compared to those found for Cr2(4)-ArxylNC(R)NArxyl), (2) (CrCr = 1.746 Å; R = H, Ar = 2,6- Et2C6H3), Cr2 μ2-ArxylIC(H)NArxyl)3 (3) (CrCr = 1.740r0 reduced/1.817neutral Å; Ar = 2,6-C6H3-(CH3)2), Cr2( μ- η2- TippPyNMes)2 (4) (CrCr = 1.749 A; TippPyNMes = 6-(2,4,6-triisopropyfphenyl)pyridin-2-yt (2,4,6-trimethytphenyl)- amide), and Cr2(μ- η2-DippNC(NMe2)N-Dipp)2 (5) (CrCr = 1.729 A, Dipp = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3). We show that the correlation between the CrCr bond length and the effective bond order (EBO) is strongly affected by the nature of the ligand, as well as by the steric hindrance due to the ligand structure (e.g., the nature of the coordinating nitrogen). A linear correlation between the EBO and CrCr bond distance is established within the same group of tigands. As a result, the CiCr species based on the amidinate, aminopyddinate, and guanidinate ligands have bond patterns similar lathe Ar'CrCrAr' compound. Unlike these latter species, the dichromiurn diazadiene complex is characterized by a different bonding pattern invoMng Cr-Nл interactions, resulting in a lower bond order associated with the short metal-metal bond distance. In this case the short CrCr distance is most probably the result of the constraints imposed by the diazadiene tigand, implying a Cr2N4 core with a closer CrCr interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the domain of exchange-coupled polynuclear transition-metal (PNTM) clusters, local emergent symmetries exist which can be exploited to greatly increase the sparsity of the configuration interaction (CI) eigensolutions of such systems. Sparsity of the CI secular problem is revealed by exploring the site permutation space within spin-adapted many-body bases, and highly compressed wave functions may arise by finding optimal site orderings. However, the factorial cost of searching through the permutation space remains a bottleneck for clusters with a large number of metal centers. In this work, we explore ways to reduce the factorial scaling, by combining permutation and point group symmetry arguments, and using commutation relations between cumulative partial spin and the Hamiltonian operators, . Certain site orderings lead to commuting operators, from which more sparse wave functions arise. Two graphical strategies will be discussed, one to rapidly evaluate the commutators of interest, and one in the form of a tree search algorithm to predict how many and which distinct site permutations are to be analyzed, eliminating redundancies in the permutation space. Particularly interesting is the case of the singlet spin states for which an additional reversal symmetry can be utilized to further reduce the number of distinct site permutations.

The developments of the open-source OpenMolcas chemistry software environment since spring 2020 are described, with a focus on novel functionalities accessible in the stable branch of the package or via interfaces with other packages. These developments span a wide range of topics in computational chemistry and are presented in thematic sections: electronic structure theory, electronic spectroscopy simulations, analytic gradients and molecular structure optimizations, ab initio molecular dynamics, and other new features. This report offers an overview of the chemical phenomena and processes OpenMolcas can address, while showing that OpenMolcas is an attractive platform for state-of-the-art atomistic computer simulations.

Strong electron correlation effects are one of the major challenges in modern quantum chemistry. Polynuclear transition metal clusters are peculiar examples of systems featuring such forms of electron correlation. Multireference strategies, often based on but not limited to the concept of complete active space, are adopted to accurately account for strong electron correlation and to resolve their complex electronic structures. However, transition metal clusters already containing four magnetic centers with multiple unpaired electrons make conventional active space based strategies prohibitively expensive, due to their unfavorable scaling with the size of the active space. In this work, forefront techniques, such as density matrix renormalization group (DMRG), full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC), and multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MCPDFT), are employed to overcome the computational limitation of conventional multireference approaches and to accurately investigate the magnetic interactions taking place in a [Co(II) 3 Er(III)(OR) 4 ] (chemical formula [Co(II) 3 Er(III)(hmp) 4 (μ 2 -OAc) 2 (OH) 3 (H 2 O)], hmp = 2-(hydroxymethyl)-pyridine) model cubane water oxidation catalyst. Complete active spaces with up to 56 electrons in 56 orbitals have been constructed for the seven energetically lowest different spin states. Relative energies, local spin, and spin-spin correlation values are reported and provide crucial insights on the spin interactions for this model system, pivotal in the rationalization of the catalytic activity of this system in the water-splitting reaction. A ferromagnetic ground state is found with a very small, ∼50 cm -1 , highest-to-lowest spin gap. Moreover, for the energetically lowest states, S = 3-6, the three Co(II) sites exhibit parallel aligned spins, and for the lower states, S = 0-2, two Co(II) sites retain strong parallel spin alignment.

In this work ground and excited electronic states of Heisenberg cluster models, in the form of configuration interaction many-body wave functions, are characterized within the spin-adapted Graphical Unitary Group Approach framework, and relying on a novel combined unitary and symmetric group approach. Finite-size cluster models of well-defined point-group symmetry and of general local-spin S local > 1 2 are presented, including J 1 - J 2 triangular and tetrahedral clusters, which are often used to describe magnetic interactions in biological and biomimetic polynuclear transition metal clusters with unique catalytic activity, such as nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis. We show that a unique block-diagonal structure of the underlying Hamiltonian matrix in the spin-adapted basis emerges when an optimal lattice site ordering is chosen that reflects the internal symmetries of the model investigated. The block-diagonal structure is bound to the commutation relations between cumulative spin operators and the Hamiltonian operator, that in turn depend on the geometry of the cluster investigated. The many-body basis transformation, in the form of the orbital/site reordering, exposes such commutation relations. These commutation relations represent a rigorous and formal demonstration of the block-diagonal structure in Hamiltonian matrices and the compression of the corresponding spin-adapted many-body wave functions. As a direct consequence of the block-diagonal structure of the Hamiltonian matrix, it is possible to selectively optimize electronic excited states without the overhead of calculating the lower-energy states by simply relying on the initial ansatz for the targeted wave function. Additionally, more compact many-body wave functions are obtained. In extreme cases, electronic states are precisely described by a single configuration state function, despite the curse of dimensionality of the corresponding Hilbert space. These findings are crucial in the electronic structure theory framework, for they offer a conceptual route toward wave functions of reduced multireference character, that can be optimized more easily by approximated eigensolvers and are of more facile physical interpretation. They open the way to study larger ab initio and model Hamiltonians of increasingly larger number of correlated electrons, while keeping the computational costs at their lowest. In particular, these elements will expand the potential of electronic structure methods in understanding magnetic interactions in exchange-coupled polynuclear transition metal clusters.

A recently proposed tailored approach based on the distinguishable cluster method and the stochastic FCI solver, FCIQMC [ J. Chem. Theory Comput . 2020, 16, 5621], is extended to open-shell molecular systems. The method is employed to calculate spin gaps of various Fe(II) complexes, including a Fe(II) porphyrin model system. Both distinguishable cluster and fully relaxed CASSCF natural orbitals were used in this work as reference for the subsequent tailored distinguishable cluster calculations. The distinguishable cluster natural orbitals occupation numbers were also used as an aid to the selection of the active space. The effect of the active space sizes and of the explicit correlation correction (F12) onto the predicted spin gaps is investigated. The tailored distinguishable cluster with singles and doubles yields consistently more accurate results compared to the tailored coupled cluster with singles and doubles.

In this article, we demonstrate that a first-order spin penalty scheme can be efficiently applied to the Slater determinant based Full-CI Quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) algorithm, as a practical route toward spin purification. Two crucial applications are presented to demonstrate the validity and robustness of this scheme: the 1 Δ g ← 3 Σ g vertical excitation in O 2 and key spin gaps in a [Mn 3 (IV) O 4 ] cluster. In the absence of a robust spin adaptation/purification technique, both applications would be unattainable by Slater determinant based ground state methods, with any starting wave function collapsing into the higher-spin ground state during the optimization. This strategy can be coupled to other algorithms that use the Slater determinant based FCIQMC algorithm as configuration interaction eigensolver, including the Stochastic Generalized Active Space, the similarity-transformed FCIQMC, the tailored-CC, and second-order perturbation theory approaches. Moreover, in contrast to the GUGA-FCIQMC technique, this strategy features both spin projection and total spin adaptation, making it appealing when solving anisotropic Hamiltonians. It also provides spin-resolved reduced density matrices, important for the investigation of spin-dependent properties in polynuclear transition metal clusters, such as the hyperfine-coupling constants.

An algorithm to perform stochastic generalized active space calculations, Stochastic-GAS, is presented, that uses the Slater determinant based FCIQMC algorithm as configuration interaction eigensolver. Stochastic-GAS allows the construction and stochastic optimization of preselected truncated configuration interaction wave functions, either to reduce the computational costs of large active space wave function optimizations, or to probe the role of specific electron correlation pathways. As for the conventional GAS procedure, the preselection of the truncated wave function is based on the selection of multiple active subspaces while imposing restrictions on the interspace excitations. Both local and cumulative minimum and maximum occupation number constraints are supported by Stochastic-GAS. The occupation number constraints are efficiently encoded in precomputed probability distributions, using the precomputed heat bath algorithm, which removes nearly all runtime overhead of GAS. This strategy effectively allows the FCIQMC dynamics to a priori exclude electronic configurations that are not allowed by GAS restrictions. Stochastic-GAS reduced density matrices are stochastically sampled, allowing orbital relaxations via Stochastic-GASSCF, and direct evaluation of properties that can be extracted from density matrices, such as the spin expectation value. Three test case applications have been chosen to demonstrate the flexibility of Stochastic-GAS: (a) the Stochastic-GASSCF [5·(6, 6)] optimization of a stack of five benzene molecules, that shows the applicability of Stochastic-GAS toward fragment-based chemical systems; (b) an uncontracted stochastic MRCISD calculation that correlates 96 electrons and 159 molecular orbitals, and uses a large (32, 34) active space reference wave function for an Fe(II)-porphyrin model system, showing how GAS can be applied to systematically recover dynamic electron correlation, and how in the specific case of the Fe(II)-porphyrin dynamic correlation further differentially stabilizes the 3 E g over the 5 A 1 g spin state; (c) the study of an Fe 4 S 4 cluster's spin-ladder energetics via highly truncated stochastic-GAS [4·(5, 5)] wave functions, where we show how GAS can be applied to understand the competing spin-exchange and charge-transfer correlating mechanisms in stabilizing different spin-states.

Three new zinc(II) coordination units [Zn(1-3)] based on planar-directing tetradentate Schiff base-like ligands H 2 (1-3) were synthesized. Their solid-state structures were investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction, showing the tendency to overcome the square-planar coordination sphere by axial ligation. Affinity in solution towards axial ligation has been tested by extended spectroscopic studies, both in the absorption and emission mode. The electronic spectrum of the pyridine complex [Zn(1)(py)] has been characterized by MC-PDFT to validate the results of extended TD-DFT studies. Green emission of non-emissive solutions of [Zn(1-3)] in chloroform could be switched on in the presence of potent Lewis-bases. While interpretation in terms of an equilibrium of stacked/non-fluorescent and destacked/fluorescent species is in line with precedents from literature, the sensitivity of [Zn(1-3)] was greatly reduced. Results of a computation-based structure search allow to trace the hidden Lewis acidity of [Zn(1-3)] to a new stacking motif, resulting in a strongly enhanced stability of the dimers., (© 2021 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In this work we apply a quantum chemical framework, recently designed in our laboratories, to rationalize the low-energy electronic spectrum and the magnetic properties of an homo-valent trinuclear [Mn 3 (IV) O 4 ] 4+ model of the oxygen-evolving center in photosystem II. The method is based on chemically motivated molecular orbital unitary transformations, and the optimization of spin-adapted many-body wave functions, both for ground- and excited-states, in the transformed MO basis. In this basis, the configuration interaction Hamiltonian matrix of exchange-coupled multi-center clusters is extremely sparse and characterized by a unique block diagonal structure. This property leads to highly compressed wave functions (oligo- or single-reference) and crucially enables state-specific optimizations. This work is the first showing that compression and selective targeting of ground- and excited-states wave functions is possible for systems with three magnetic centers that are not exactly half-filled, and that potentially exhibit frustrated spin interactions. The reduced multi-reference character of the wave function greatly simplifies the interpretation of the ground- and excited-state electronic structures, and provides a route for the direct rationalization of magnetic interactions in these compounds, often considered a challenge in polynuclear transition-metal chemistry. In this study, strong electron correlation effects have explicitly been described by conventional and stochastic multiconfigurational methodologies, while dynamic correlation effects have been accounted for by multiconfigurational second order perturbation theory, CASPT2. Ab initio results for the [Mn 3 (IV) O 4 ] 4+ system have been mapped to a three-site Heisenberg model with two magnetic coupling constants. The magnetic coupling constants and the temperature dependence of the effective magnetic moment predicted by the ab initio calculations are in good agreement with the available experimental data, and confirm the antiferromagnetic interaction among the three magnetic centers, while providing a simple and rigorous description of the noncollinearity of the local spins, that characterize most of the low-energy states for this system.

In this work, we demonstrate how to efficiently compute the one- and two-body reduced density matrices within the spin-adapted full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) method, which is based on the graphical unitary group approach (GUGA). This allows us to use GUGA-FCIQMC as a spin-pure configuration interaction (CI) eigensolver within the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) procedure and hence to stochastically treat active spaces far larger than conventional CI solvers while variationally relaxing orbitals for specific spin-pure states. We apply the method to investigate the spin ladder in iron-sulfur dimer and tetramer model systems. We demonstrate the importance of the orbital relaxation by comparing the Heisenberg model magnetic coupling parameters from the CASSCF procedure to those from a CI-only (CASCI) procedure based on restricted open-shell Hartree-Fock orbitals. We show that the orbital relaxation differentially stabilizes the lower-spin states, thus enlarging the coupling parameters with respect to the values predicted by ignoring orbital relaxation effects. Moreover, we find that, while CASCI results are well fit by a simple bilinear Heisenberg Hamiltonian, the CASSCF eigenvalues exhibit deviations that necessitate the inclusion of biquadratic terms in the model Hamiltonian.

Polynuclear transition-metal (PNTM) clusters owe their catalytic activity to numerous energetically low-lying spin states and stable oxidation states. The characterization of their electronic structure represents one of the greatest challenges of modern chemistry. We propose a theoretical framework that enables the resolution of targeted electronic states with ease and apply it to two [Fe(III) 4 S 4 ] cubanes. Through direct access to their many-body wave functions, we identify important correlation mechanisms and their interplay with the geometrical distortions observed in these clusters, which are core properties in understanding their catalytic activity. The simulated magnetic coupling constants predicted by our strategy allow us to make qualitative connections between spin interactions and geometrical distortions, demonstrating its predictive power. Moreover, despite its simplicity, the strategy provides magnetic coupling constants in good agreement with the available experimental ones. The complexes are intrinsically frustrated anti-ferromagnets, and the obtained spin structures together with the geometrical distortions represent two possible ways to release spin frustration (spin-driven Jahn-Teller distortion). Our paradigm provides a simple, yet rigorous, route to uncover the electronic structure of PNTM clusters and may be applied to a wide variety of such clusters.

We present a protocol based on unitary transformations of molecular orbitals to reduce the number of nonvanishing coefficients of spin-adapted configuration interaction expansions. Methods that exploit the sparsity of the Hamiltonian matrix and compactness of its eigensolutions, such as the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) algorithm in its spin-adapted implementation, are well suited to this protocol. The wave function compression resulting from this approach is particularly attractive for antiferromagnetically coupled polynuclear spin systems, such as transition-metal cubanes in biocatalysis, and Mott and charge-transfer insulators in solid-state physics. Active space configuration interaction calculations on N 2 and CN - at various bond lengths, the stretched square N 4 compounds, the chromium dimer, and a [Fe 2 S 2 ] 2- model system are presented as a proof-of-concept. For the Cr 2 case, large and intermediate bond distances are discussed, showing that the approach is effective in cases where static and dynamic correlations are equally important. The [Fe 2 S 2 ] 2- case shows the general applicability of the method.

In this Article we describe the OpenMolcas environment and invite the computational chemistry community to collaborate. The open-source project already includes a large number of new developments realized during the transition from the commercial MOLCAS product to the open-source platform. The paper initially describes the technical details of the new software development platform. This is followed by brief presentations of many new methods, implementations, and features of the OpenMolcas program suite. These developments include novel wave function methods such as stochastic complete active space self-consistent field, density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) methods, and hybrid multiconfigurational wave function and density functional theory models. Some of these implementations include an array of additional options and functionalities. The paper proceeds and describes developments related to explorations of potential energy surfaces. Here we present methods for the optimization of conical intersections, the simulation of adiabatic and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, and interfaces to tools for semiclassical and quantum mechanical nuclear dynamics. Furthermore, the Article describes features unique to simulations of spectroscopic and magnetic phenomena such as the exact semiclassical description of the interaction between light and matter, various X-ray processes, magnetic circular dichroism, and properties. Finally, the paper describes a number of built-in and add-on features to support the OpenMolcas platform with postcalculation analysis and visualization, a multiscale simulation option using frozen-density embedding theory, and new electronic and muonic basis sets.

The role of valence and semicore correlation in differentially stabilizing the intermediate spin state of Fe(II)-porphyrins is analyzed. For CASSCF treatments of valence correlation, a (32,34) active space containing metal 3 d, d' orbitals and the entire π system of the porphyrin is necessary to stabilize the intermediate spin state. Semicore correlation provides a minor (-1.6 kcal/mol) but quantitatively significant correction. Accounting for valence, semicore, and correlation beyond the active space enlarges the ( 3 E g - 5 A 1 g ) spin gap to -5.7 kcal/mol.

Spin fluctuations in Fe(II)-porphyrins are at the heart of heme-proteins functionality. Despite significant progress in porphyrin chemistry, the mechanisms that rule spin state stabilization remain elusive. Here, it is demonstrated by using multiconfigurational quantum chemical approaches, including the novel Stochastic-CASSCF method, that electron delocalization between the metal center and the π system of the macrocycle differentially stabilizes the triplet spin states over the quintet. This delocalization takes place via charge-transfer excitations, involving the π system of the macrocycle and the out-of-plane iron d orbitals, key linking orbitals between metal and macrocycle. Through a correlated breathing mechanism the 3d electrons can make transitions toward the π orbitals of the macrocycle. This guarantees a strong coupling between the on-site radial correlation on the metal and electron delocalization. Opposite-spin 3d electrons of the triplet can effectively reduce electron repulsion in this manner. Constraining the out-of-plane orbitals from breathing hinders delocalization and reverses the spin ordering. The breathing mechanism is made effective by strong electron correlation effects in the π system of the macrocycle. Reducing the correlation treatment on the macrocycle to second-order only also reverses the spin ordering. High order (beyond second-order) correlation on the macrocycle reduces the energetic cost of the additional electron to a sufficient extent to stabilize the triplet state. Our results find a qualitative analogue in six resonance structures involving the metal center in the Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ oxidation states.

The electronic energy of a system provides the Born-Oppenheimer potential energy for internuclear motion and thus determines molecular structure and spectra, bond energies, conformational energies, reaction barrier heights, and vibrational frequencies. The development of more efficient and more accurate ways to calculate the electronic energy of systems with inherently multiconfigurational electronic structure is essential for many applications, including transition metal and actinide chemistry, systems with partially broken bonds, many transition states, and most electronically excited states. Inherently multiconfigurational systems are called strongly correlated systems or multireference systems, where the latter name refers to the need for using more than one ("multiple") configuration state function to provide a good zero-order reference wave function. This Account describes multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT), which was developed as a way to combine the advantages of wave function theory (WFT) and density functional theory (DFT) to provide a better treatment of strongly correlated systems. First we review background material: the widely used Kohn-Sham DFT (which uses only a single Slater determinant as reference wave function), multiconfiguration WFT methods that treat inherently multiconfigurational systems based on an active space, and previous attempts to combine multiconfiguration WFT with DFT. Then we review the formulation of MC-PDFT. It is a generalization of Kohn-Sham DFT in that the electron kinetic energy and classical electrostatic energy are calculated from a reference wave function, while the rest of the energy is obtained from a density functional. However, there are two main differences with respent to Kohn-Sham DFT: (i) The reference wave function is multiconfigurational rather than being a single Slater determinant. (ii) The density functional is a function of the total density and the on-top pair density rather than being a function of the spin-up and spin-down densities. In work carried out so far, the multiconfigurational wave function is a multiconfiguration self-consistent-field wave function. The new formulation has the advantage that the reference wave function has the correct spatial and spin symmetry and can describe bond dissociation (of both single and multiple bonds) and electronic excitations in a formally and physically correct way. We then review the formulation of density functionals in terms of the on-top pair density. Finally we review successful applications of the theory to bond energies and bond dissociation potential energy curves of main-group and transition metal bonds, to barrier heights (including pericyclic reactions), to proton affinities, to the hydrogen bond energy of water dimer, to ground- and excited-state charge transfer, to valence and Rydberg excitations of molecules, and to singlet-triplet splittings of radicals. We find that that MC-PDFT can give accurate results not only with complete-active-space multiconfiguration wave functions but also with generalized-active-space multiconfiguration wave functions, which are practical for larger numbers of active electrons and active orbitals than are complete-active-space wave functions. The separated-pair approximation, which is a special case of generalized active space self-consistent-field theory, is especially promising. MC-PDFT, because it requires much less computer time and storage than pure WFT methods, has the potential to open larger and more complex strongly correlated systems to accurate simulation.

A multireference second-order perturbation theory approach based on the generalized active space self-consistent-field (GASSCF) wave function is presented. Compared with the complete active space (CAS) and restricted active space (RAS) wave functions, GAS wave functions are more flexible and can employ larger active spaces and/or different truncations of the configuration interaction expansion. With GASSCF, one can explore chemical systems that are not affordable with either CASSCF or RASSCF. Perturbation theory to second order on top of GAS wave functions (GASPT2) has been implemented to recover the remaining electron correlation. The method has been benchmarked by computing the chromium dimer ground-state potential energy curve. These calculations show that GASPT2 gives results similar to CASPT2 even with a configuration interaction expansion much smaller than the corresponding CAS expansion.

A novel stochastic Complete Active Space Self-Consistent Field (CASSCF) method has been developed and implemented in the Molcas software package. A two-step procedure is used, in which the CAS configuration interaction secular equations are solved stochastically with the Full Configuration Interaction Quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) approach, while orbital rotations are performed using an approximated form of the Super-CI method. This new method does not suffer from the strong combinatorial limitations of standard MCSCF implementations using direct schemes and can handle active spaces well in excess of those accessible to traditional CASSCF approaches. The density matrix formulation of the Super-CI method makes this step independent of the size of the CI expansion, depending exclusively on one- and two-body density matrices with indices restricted to the relatively small number of active orbitals. No sigma vectors need to be stored in memory for the FCIQMC eigensolver--a substantial gain in comparison to implementations using the Davidson method, which require three or more vectors of the size of the CI expansion. Further, no orbital Hessian is computed, circumventing limitations on basis set expansions. Like the parent FCIQMC method, the present technique is scalable on massively parallel architectures. We present in this report the method and its application to the free-base porphyrin, Mg(II) porphyrin, and Fe(II) porphyrin. In the present study, active spaces up to 32 electrons and 29 orbitals in orbital expansions containing up to 916 contracted functions are treated with modest computational resources. Results are quite promising even without accounting for the correlation outside the active space. The systems here presented clearly demonstrate that large CASSCF calculations are possible via FCIQMC-CASSCF without limitations on basis set size.

In this report, we summarize and describe the recent unique updates and additions to the Molcas quantum chemistry program suite as contained in release version 8. These updates include natural and spin orbitals for studies of magnetic properties, local and linear scaling methods for the Douglas-Kroll-Hess transformation, the generalized active space concept in MCSCF methods, a combination of multiconfigurational wave functions with density functional theory in the MC-PDFT method, additional methods for computation of magnetic properties, methods for diabatization, analytical gradients of state average complete active space SCF in association with density fitting, methods for constrained fragment optimization, large-scale parallel multireference configuration interaction including analytic gradients via the interface to the Columbus package, and approximations of the CASPT2 method to be used for computations of large systems. In addition, the report includes the description of a computational machinery for nonlinear optical spectroscopy through an interface to the QM/MM package Cobramm. Further, a module to run molecular dynamics simulations is added, two surface hopping algorithms are included to enable nonadiabatic calculations, and the DQ method for diabatization is added. Finally, we report on the subject of improvements with respects to alternative file options and parallelization., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A recent paper on Fe2 [A. Kalemos, J. Chem. Phys. 142, 244304 (2015)] critiqued our previous work on the system [Hoyer et al., J. Chem. Phys. 141, 204309 (2014)]. In this comment, we explain the nature of our previously reported potential energy curve for Fe2 and we discuss our computed properties for Fe2. Additionally, we fix a labeling error that was present in our previous work, although this error is unrelated to the main point of discussion.

The applicability and accuracy of the generalized active space self-consistent field, (GASSCF), and (SplitGAS) methods are presented. The GASSCF method enables the exploration of larger active spaces than with the conventional complete active space SCF, (CASSCF), by fragmentation of a large space into subspaces and by controlling the interspace excitations. In the SplitGAS method, the GAS configuration interaction, CI, expansion is further partitioned in two parts: the principal, which includes the most important configuration state functions, and an extended, containing less relevant but not negligible ones. An effective Hamiltonian is then generated, with the extended part acting as a perturbation to the principal space. Excitation energies of ozone, furan, pyrrole, nickel dioxide, and copper tetrachloride dianion are reported. Various partitioning schemes of the GASSCF and SplitGAS CI expansions are considered and compared with the complete active space followed by second-order perturbation theory, (CASPT2), and multireference CI method, (MRCI), or available experimental data. General guidelines for the optimum applicability of these methods are discussed together with their current limitations.

Kohn-Sham density functional theory, resting on the representation of the electronic density and kinetic energy by a single Slater determinant, has revolutionized chemistry, but for open-shell systems, the Kohn-Sham Slater determinant has the wrong symmetry properties as compared to an accurate wave function. We have recently proposed a theory, called multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT), in which the electronic kinetic energy and classical Coulomb energy are calculated from a multiconfiguration wave function with the correct symmetry properties, and the rest of the energy is calculated from a density functional, called the on-top density functional, that depends on the density and the on-top pair density calculated from this wave function. We also proposed a simple way to approximate the on-top density functional by translation of Kohn-Sham exchange-correlation functionals. The method is much less expensive than other post-SCF methods for calculating the dynamical correlation energy starting with a multiconfiguration self-consistent-field wave function as the reference wave function, and initial tests of the theory were quite encouraging. Here, we provide a broader test of the theory by applying it to bond energies of main-group molecules and transition metal complexes, barrier heights and reaction energies for diverse chemical reactions, proton affinities, and the water dimerization energy. Averaged over 56 data points, the mean unsigned error is 3.2 kcal/mol for MC-PDFT, as compared to 6.9 kcal/mol for Kohn-Sham theory with a comparable density functional. MC-PDFT is more accurate on average than complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) for main-group small-molecule bond energies, alkyl bond dissociation energies, transition-metal-ligand bond energies, proton affinities, and the water dimerization energy.

We present a new theoretical framework, called Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory (MC-PDFT), which combines multiconfigurational wave functions with a generalization of density functional theory (DFT). A multiconfigurational self-consistent-field (MCSCF) wave function with correct spin and space symmetry is used to compute the total electronic density, its gradient, the on-top pair density, and the kinetic and Coulomb contributions to the total electronic energy. We then use a functional of the total density, its gradient, and the on-top pair density to calculate the remaining part of the energy, which we call the on-top-density-functional energy in contrast to the exchange-correlation energy of Kohn-Sham DFT. Because the on-top pair density is an element of the two-particle density matrix, this goes beyond the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem that refers only to the one-particle density. To illustrate the theory, we obtain first approximations to the required new type of density functionals by translating conventional density functionals of the spin densities using a simple prescription, and we perform post-SCF density functional calculations using the total density, density gradient, and on-top pair density from the MCSCF calculations. Double counting of dynamic correlation or exchange does not occur because the MCSCF energy is not used. The theory is illustrated by applications to the bond energies and potential energy curves of H2, N2, F2, CaO, Cr2, and NiCl and the electronic excitation energies of Be, C, N, N(+), O, O(+), Sc(+), Mn, Co, Mo, Ru, N2, HCHO, C4H6, c-C5H6, and pyrazine. The method presented has a computational cost and scaling similar to MCSCF, but a quantitative accuracy, even with the present first approximations to the new types of density functionals, that is comparable to much more expensive multireference perturbation theory methods.

Oxidation of quadruply bonded Cr2(dpa)4, Mo2(dpa)4, MoW(dpa)4, and W2(dpa)4 (dpa = 2,2'-dipyridylamido) with 2 equiv of silver(I) triflate or ferrocenium triflate results in the formation of the two-electron-oxidized products [Cr2(dpa)4](2+) (1), [Mo2(dpa)4](2+) (2), [MoW(dpa)4](2+) (3), and [W2(dpa)4](2+) (4). Additional two-electron oxidation and oxygen atom transfer by m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid results in the formation of the corresponding metal-oxo compounds [Mo2O(dpa)4](2+) (5), [WMoO(dpa)4](2+) (6), and [W2O(dpa)4](2+) (7), which feature an unusual linear M···M≡O structure. Crystallographic studies of the two-electron-oxidized products 2, 3, and 4, which have the appropriate number of orbitals and electrons to form metal-metal triple bonds, show bond distances much longer (by >0.5 Å) than those in established triply bonded compounds, but these compounds are nonetheless diamagnetic. In contrast, the Cr-Cr bond is completely severed in 1, and the resulting two isolated Cr(3+) magnetic centers couple antiferromagnetically with J/kB= -108(3) K [-75(2) cm(-1)], as determined by modeling of the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility. Density functional theory (DFT) and multiconfigurational methods (CASSCF/CASPT2) provide support for "stretched" and weak metal-metal triple bonds in 2, 3, and 4. The metal-metal distances in the metal-oxo compounds 5, 6, and 7 are elongated beyond the single-bond covalent radii of the metal atoms. DFT and CASSCF/CASPT2 calculations suggest that the metal atoms have minimal interaction; the electronic structure of these complexes is used to rationalize their multielectron redox reactivity.

This study details the synthesis and characterization of an unprecedented two-coordinate, high-spin manganese(0) complex that incorporates an unsupported Mn-Mg bond, viz. L(†)MnMg((Mes)Nacnac) (L(†) = -N(Ar(†))(SiPr(i)3), Ar(†) = C6H2{C(H)Ph2}2Pr(i)-2,6,4; (Mes)Nacnac = [(MesNCMe)2CH](-); Mes = mesityl). This compound has been utilized as an "inorganic Grignard reagent" in the preparation of the first two-coordinate manganese(I) dimer, L(†)MnMnL* (L* = -N(Ar*)(SiMe3), Ar* = C6H2{C(H)Ph2}2Me-2,6,4), and the related mixed valence, bis(amido)-hetereobimetallic complex, Mn(II)(μ-L(†))(μ-L*)Cr(0). It is also shown to act as a two-electron reducing agent in reactions with unsaturated substrates.

A new multiconfigurational quantum chemical method, SplitGAS, is presented. The configuration interaction expansion, generated from a generalized active space, GAS, wave function is split in two parts, a principal part containing the most relevant configurations and an extended part containing less relevant, but not negligible, configurations. The partition is based on an orbital criterion. The SplitGAS method has been employed to study the HF, N2, and Cr2 molecules. The results on these systems, especially on the challenging, multiconfigurational Cr2 molecule, are satisfactory. While SplitGAS is comparable with the GASSCF method in terms of memory requirements, it performs better than the complete active space method followed by second-order perturbation theory, CASPT2, in terms of equilibrium bond length, dissociation energy, and vibrational properties.

The electronic structures of two uranium compounds supported by redox-active α-diimine ligands, ((Mes)DAB(Me))(2)U(THF) (1) and Cp(2)U((Mes)DAB(Me)) (2) ((Mes)DAB(Me) = [ArN═C(Me)C(Me)═NAr]; Ar = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl (Mes)), have been investigated using both density functional theory and multiconfigurational self-consistent field methods. Results from these studies have established that both uranium centers are tetravalent, that the ligands are reduced by two electrons, and that the ground states of these molecules are triplets. Energetically low-lying singlet states are accessible, and some transitions to these states are visible in the electronic absorption spectrum.

To gain insights into the trends in metal-metal multiple bonding among the Group 6 elements, density functional theory has been employed in combination with multiconfigurational methods (CASSCF and CASPT2) to investigate a selection of bimetallic, multiply bonded compounds. For the compound [Ar-MM-Ar] (Ar=2,6-(C(6)H(5))(2)-C(6)H(3), M=Cr, Mo, W) the effect of the Ar ligand on the M(2) core has been compared with the analogous [Ph-MM-Ph] (Ph=phenyl, M=Cr, Mo, W) compounds. A set of [M(2)(dpa)(4)] (dpa=2,2'-dipyridylamide, M=Cr, Mo, W, U) compounds has also been investigated. All of the compounds studied here show important multiconfigurational behavior. For the Mo(2) and W(2) compounds, the σ(2)π(4)δ(2) configuration dominates the ground-state wavefunction, contributing at least 75%. The Cr(2) compounds show a more nuanced electronic structure, with many configurations contributing to the ground state. For the Cr, Mo, and W compounds the electronic absorption spectra have been studied, combining density functional theory and multireference methods to make absorption feature assignments. In all cases, the main features observed in the visible spectra may be assigned as charge-transfer bands. For all compounds investigated the Mayer bond order (MBO) and the effective bond order (EBO) were calculated by density functional theory and CASSCF methods, respectively. The MBO and EBO values share a similar trend toward higher values at shorter normalized metal-metal bond lengths., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A multiconfigurational self-consistent field method based on the concept of generalized active space (GAS) is presented. GAS wave functions are obtained by defining an arbitrary number of active spaces with arbitrary occupation constraints. By a suitable choice of the GAS spaces, numerous ineffective configurations present in a large complete active space (CAS) can be removed, while keeping the important ones in the CI space. As a consequence, the GAS self-consistent field approach retains the accuracy of the CAS self-consistent field (CASSCF) ansatz and, at the same time, can deal with larger active spaces, which would be unaffordable at the CASSCF level. Test calculations on the Gd atom, Gd(2) molecule, and oxoMn(salen) complex are presented. They show that GAS wave functions achieve the same accuracy as CAS wave functions on systems that would be prohibitive at the CAS level., (© 2011 American Institute of Physics)

We propose a new approach to determine a suitable zeroth-order wavefunction for multiconfigurational perturbation theory. The same ansatz as in complete active space (CAS) wavefunction optimization is used but it is split in two parts, a principal space (A) and a much larger extended space (B). Löwdin's partitioning technique is employed to map the initial eigenvalue problem to a dimensionality equal to that of (A) only. Combined with a simplified expression for the (B) portion of the wavefunction, we are able to drastically reduce the storage and computational demands of the wavefunction optimization. This scheme is used to produce reference wavefunctions and energies for subsequent second-order perturbation theory (PT2) corrections. Releasing the constraint of computing the exact CAS energy and wavefunction prior to the PT2 treatment introduces a nonstandard paradigm for multiconfigurational methods. Based on the results of test calculations, we argue that principal parts with only few percents of the total number of CAS configurations could provide final multiconfigurational PT2 energies of the same accuracy as in the standard paradigm. In the future, algorithmic improvements for this scheme will bring into reach active spaces much beyond the present limit of CAS-based methods, therefore allowing for accurate studies of systems featuring strong correlation.