Approaching the basis set limit for transition metal compounds with highly polar bonds: A benchmark coupledcluster study of the Sc F 3 and Fe F 3 molecular structures and spectraThe total atomization energies, geometries, and anharmonic force fields of the SO and SO 2 molecules have been studied at the augmented coupled cluster ͓CCSD͑T͔͒ level near the one-particle basis set limit. The effect of core correlation has been accounted for. The addition of high-exponent d and f ''inner polarization functions'' to the sulfur basis set was found to be essential for obtaining reliable molecular geometries. The differential effect of core correlation on computed properties is in fact much less important. The CCSD͑T͒ one-particle basis set limit for the symmetric stretching frequencies appears to be higher than the exact value, while the antisymmetric stretching frequency benefits from an error cancellation. The basis set extension effects of diffuse functions and inner polarization functions appear to be nearly perfectly additive. Our best computed atomization energies and geometries agree to within 0.1 kcal/mol, 0.0004 Å, and 0.03 degrees with experiment: The errors in the fundamentals of SO 2 are ϩ3.9, Ϫ0.4, and ϩ0.4 cm Ϫ1 . The best computed quartic force field for SO 2 should provide a good starting point for a new experimental refinement.