In search of the best DFT functional for dealing with organic anionic species

BORIONI, JOSÉ L.; PUIATTI, MARCELO; VERA, D. MARIANO A.; PIERINI, ADRIANA B.

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY

Año: 2017 vol. 19 p. 9189 - 9189

1463-9076

uantum chemical computational methods are thought to have problems in dealing with unstable organic anions. This work assesses the ability of different Density Functional Theory (DFT) functionals to reproduce the electron affinity and reduction potential of organic compounds. The performance of 23 DFT functionals was evaluated by computing the negative electron affinities (from 0 eV to -3.0 eV) and reduction potentials in acetonitrile (from 0 to -2.7 V). In general, most of the hybrid GGA functionals work fine in the prediction of electron affinities, BPW91, B3PW91 and M06 being the best in each class of functionals (pure, hybrid and meta-GGA functionals, respectively). On the other hand, the ab initio post-Hartree-Fock methods, MP2 and coupled-cluster (CCSD(T)), as well as the double hybrid functionals, B2PLYP and mPW2PLYP, usually fail. For compounds with EAs lower than -1.75 eV, a method for stabilizing the anion, based on solvation with the IEFPCM model, was employed. In this case