The performances of the B3LYP density functional in the computation of harmonic and anharmonic frequencies were tested using 14 standard basis sets of double and triple zeta quality for a set of semirigid molecules containing from 4 to 12 atoms. The quality of the results is assessed by comparison with the most reliable computations available in the literature. The study reveals that the relatively cheap 6-31+G(d,p) basis set performs a very good job for harmonic frequency calculations and that B3LYP anharmonicities are in close agreement with the reference values irrespective of the basis set used. On these grounds "hybrid force fields" are proposed to achieve the best compromise between computer time and quality of the results.

A hybrid quartic force field with quadratic force constants calculated at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level and cubic and quartic terms determined by a B3LYP/cc-pVTZ treatment is proposed to compute the vibrational energy levels of acetonitrile from a variational method. Fundamentals and overtones calculated in the range of 300-3200 cm(-1) are in fair agreement with the 31 observed data, with an absolute mean deviation of less than 0.8%. These results allow us to explain several Fermi resonances.

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