A benchmark theoretical study of the electronic ground state and of the vertical and adiabatic singlet-triplet ͑ST͒ excitation energies of benzene ͑n =1͒ and n-acenes ͑C 4n+2 H 2n+4 ͒ ranging from naphthalene ͑n =2͒ to heptacene ͑n =7͒ is presented, on the ground of single-and multireference calculations based on restricted or unrestricted zero-order wave functions. High-level and large scale treatments of electronic correlation in the ground state are found to be necessary for compensating giant but unphysical symmetry-breaking effects in unrestricted single-reference treatments. The composition of multiconfigurational wave functions, the topologies of natural orbitals in symmetry-unrestricted CASSCF calculations, the T1 diagnostics of coupled cluster theory, and further energy-based criteria demonstrate that all investigated systems exhibit a 1 A g singlet closed-shell electronic ground state. Singlet-triplet ͑S 0 -T 1 ͒ energy gaps can therefore be very accurately determined by applying the principles of a focal point analysis onto the results of a series of single-point and symmetry-restricted calculations employing correlation consistent cc-pVXZ basis sets ͑X=D, T, Q, 5͒ and single-reference methods ͓HF, MP2, MP3, MP4SDQ, CCSD, CCSD͑T͔͒ of improving quality. According to our best estimates, which amount to a dual extrapolation of energy differences to the level of coupled cluster theory including single, double, and perturbative estimates of connected triple excitations ͓CCSD͑T͔͒ in the limit of an asymptotically complete basis set ͑cc-pVϱZ͒, the S 0 -T 1 vertical excitation energies of benzene ͑n =1͒ and n-acenes ͑n =2-7͒ amount to 100.79, 76.28, 56.97, 40.69, 31.51, 22.96, and 18.16 kcal/mol, respectively. Values of 87.02, 62.87, 46.22, 32.23, 24.19, 16.79, and 12.56 kcal/mol are correspondingly obtained at the CCSD͑T͒ / cc-pVϱZ level for the S 0 -T 1 adiabatic excitation energies, upon including B3LYP/cc-PVTZ corrections for zero-point vibrational energies. In line with the absence of Peierls distortions, extrapolations of results indicate a vanishingly small S 0 -T 1 energy gap of 0 to ϳ4 kcal/ mol ͑ϳ0.17 eV͒ in the limit of an infinitely large polyacene.

A benchmark theoretical study of the electronic ground state and of the vertical and adiabatic singlet-triplet (ST) excitation energies of n-acenes (C(4n+2)H(2n+4)) ranging from octacene (n = 8) to undecacene (n = 11) is presented. The T1 diagnostics of coupled cluster theory and further energy-based criteria demonstrate that all investigated systems exhibit predominantly a (1)A(g) singlet closed-shell electronic ground state. Singlet-triplet (S(0)-T(1)) energy gaps can therefore be very accurately determined by applying the principle of a focal point analysis (FPA) onto the results of a series of single-point and symmetry-restricted calculations employing correlation consistent cc-pVXZ basis sets (X = D, T, Q, 5) and single-reference methods [HF, MP2, MP3, MP4SDQ, CCSD, and CCSD(T)] of improving quality. According to our best estimates, which amount to a dual extrapolation of energy differences to the level of coupled cluster theory including single, double, and perturbative estimates of connected triple excitations [CCSD(T)] in the limit of an asymptotically complete basis set (cc-pV∞Z), the S(0)-T(1) vertical (adiabatic) excitation energies of these compounds amount to 13.40 (8.21), 10.72 (6.05), 8.05 (3.67), and 7.10 (2.58) kcal/mol, respectively. In line with the absence of Peierls distortions (bond length alternations), extrapolations of results obtained at this level for benzene (n = 1) and all studied n-acenes so far (n = 2-11) indicate a vanishing S(0)-T(1) energy gap, in the limit of an infinitely large polyacene, within an uncertainty of 1.5 kcal/mol (0.06 eV). Lacking experimental values for the S(0)-T(1) energy gaps of n-acenes larger than hexacene, comparison is made with recent optical and electrochemical determinations of the HOMO-LUMO band gap. Further issues such as scalar relativistic, core correlation, and diagonal Born-Oppenheimer corrections (DBOCs) are tentatively examined.

A benchmark theoretical determination of the electron affinities of benzene and linear oligoacenes ranging from naphthalene to hexacene is presented, using the principles of a focal point analysis. These energy differences have been obtained from a series of single-point calculations at the Hartree–Fock, second-, third-, and partial fourth-order Møller–Plesset (MP2, MP3, and MP4SDQ) levels and from coupled cluster calculations including single and double excitations (CCSD) as well as perturbative estimates of connected triple excitations [CCSD(T)], using basis sets of improving quality, containing up to 1386, 1350, 1824, 1992, 1630, and 1910 basis functions in the computations, respectively. Studies of the convergence properties of these energy differences as a function of the size of the basis set and order attained in electronic correlation enable a determination of the vertical electron affinities of the four larger terms of the oligoacene (C2+4nH2+2n) series within chemical accuracy (0.04eV). According to our best estimates, these amount to +0.28, +0.82, +1.21, and +1.47eV when n=3, 4, 5, and 6. Adiabatic electron affinities have been further calculated by incorporating corrections for zero-point vibrational energies and for geometrical relaxations. The same procedure was applied to determine the vertical electron affinities of benzene and naphthalene, which are found to be markedly negative (∼−1.53 and ∼−0.48eV, respectively). Highly quantitative insights into experiments employing electron transmission spectroscopy on these compounds were also amenable from such an approach, provided diffuse atomic functions are deliberately removed from the basis set, in order to enforce confinement in the molecular region and enable a determination of pseudoadiabatic electron affinities (with respect to the timescale of nuclear motions). Comparison was made with calculations employing density functional theory and especially designed models that exploit the integer discontinuity in the potential or incorporate a potential wall in the unrestricted Kohn–Sham orbital equation for the anion.

We reexamined the mechanism of the unimolecular rearrangement connecting both nitromethane and methyl nitrite isomers. The CH 3 NO 2 potential energy surface was constructed using different molecular orbital [CCSD(T) and CASSCF] and density functional theory (B3LYP) methods including a few lower lying isomeric intermediates. A particular attention has been paid to the two following questions left open by earlier experimental and theoretical studies: (a) does the interconversion between nitromethane and methyl nitrite by a 1,2-CH 3 migration occur via a "loose" or "tight" transition structure (TS)? and (b) is the energy barrier associated with methyl migration actually smaller or larger than the C-N bond dissociation energy? The C-N bond dissociation energy was evaluated with BDE(CH 3 -NO 2 ) ) 60 Phys. Chem. A 2002, 106, 7294), our multiconfigurational CASSCF computations demonstrated that the methyl migration involves a "tight" TS whose electronic wave function is dominated by the Hartree-Fock configuration. Calculations are thus internally consistent indicating that the energy of the TS for 1,2-CH 3 shift is at least 6 kcal/mol above the CH 3 + NO 2 asymptote. Thus, a discrepancy with a previous evaluation of experimental findings (Wodtke, A. M.; Hintsa, E. J.; Lee, Y. T. J. Phys. Chem. 1986, 90, 3549), which placed the CH 3 + NO 2 limit by 5 kcal/mol above the rearrangement TS, appears to persist.