The furan microsolvation blind challenge for quantum chemical methods: First steps

Gottschalk, Hannes C.; Poblotzki, Anja; Suhm, Martin A.; Al-Mogren, Muneerah M.; Antony, Jens; Auer, Alexander A.; Baptista, Leonardo; Benoit, David M.; Bistoni, Giovanni; Bohle, Fabian; Dahmani, Rahma; Firaha, Dzmitry; Grimme, Stefan; Hansen, Andreas; Harding, Michael E.; Hochlaf, Majdi; Holzer, Christof; Jansen, Georg; Klopper, Wim; Kopp, Wassja A.; Kröger, Leif C.; Leonhard, Kai; Mouhib, Halima; Neese, Frank; Pereira, Max N.; Ulusoy, Inga S.; Wuttke, Axel; Mata, Ricardo A.

Abstract

© 2018 Author(s). Herein we present the results of a blind challenge to quantum chemical methods in the calculation of dimerization preferences in the low temperature gas phase. The target of study was the first step of the microsolvation of furan, 2-methylfuran and 2,5-dimethylfuran with methanol. The dimers were investigated through IR spectroscopy of a supersonic jet expansion. From the measured bands, it was possible to identify a persistent hydrogen bonding OH-O motif in the predominant species. From the presence of another band, which can be attributed to an OH-π interaction, we were able to assert that the energy gap between the two types of dimers should be less than or close to 1 kJ/mol across the series. These values served as a first evaluation ruler for the 12 entries featured in the challenge. A tentative stricter evaluation of the challenge results is also carried out, combining theoretical and experimental results in order to define a smaller error bar. The process was carried out in a double-blind fashion, with both theory and experimental groups unaware of the results on the other side, with the exception of the 2,5-dimethylfuran system which was featured in an earlier publication.

Citation

Gottschalk, H. C., Poblotzki, A., Suhm, M. A., Al-Mogren, M. M., Antony, J., Auer, A. A., Baptista, L., Benoit, D. M., Bistoni, G., Bohle, F., Dahmani, R., Firaha, D., Grimme, S., Hansen, A., Harding, M. E., Hochlaf, M., Holzer, C., Jansen, G., Klopper, W., Kopp, W. A., …Mata, R. A. (2018). The furan microsolvation blind challenge for quantum chemical methods: First steps. The Journal of chemical physics, 148(1), Article 014301. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5009011

• Acceptance Date: Dec 6, 2017
• Publication Date: Jan 7, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jan 16, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 17, 2018
• Journal: The Journal of Chemical Physics
• Print ISSN: 0021-9606
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 148
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 014301
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5009011
• Keywords: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry; General Physics and Astronomy
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/517228
• Contract Date: Jan 16, 2018