From gedeck#* at *#pctc.chemie.uni-erlangen.de Tue Jan 10 10:59:34 1995 Received: from faui45.informatik.uni-erlangen.de for gedeck- at -pctc.chemie.uni-erlangen.de by www.ccl.net (8.6.9/930601.1506) id JAA28462; Tue, 10 Jan 1995 09:39:33 -0500 Received: from faui43.informatik.uni-erlangen.de by uni-erlangen.de with SMTP; id AA26205 (5.65c-6/7.3w-FAU); Tue, 10 Jan 1995 13:42:47 +0100 Received: from pctc.chemie.uni-erlangen.de by immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de with SMTP; id AA20317 (5.65c-6/7.3m-FAU); Tue, 10 Jan 1995 13:42:43 +0100 Received: from pc1.chemie.uni-erlangen.de by pctc.chemie.uni-erlangen.de (AIX 3.2/UCB 5.64/4.03) id AA15815; Tue, 10 Jan 1995 13:42:31 +0100 Received: by pc1.chemie.uni-erlangen.de (AIX 3.2/UCB 5.64/4.03) id AA14774; Tue, 10 Jan 1995 13:42:24 +0100 Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 13:42:20 +0100 (NFT) From: Peter Gedeck To: CHEMISTRY-!at!-ccl.net Cc: Peter Freunscht , czernek ":at:" chemi.muni.cz, jabs ":at:" cis.biochemtech.uni-halle.de Subject: Summary - Scaling of vibrational frequencies Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII I received a lot of responses for the following question: >this time I would like to ask, why vibrational frequencies are usually >scaled by a factor (0.89-0.9)? > >As far as I know, this is independent of the calculational method used >(ab-initio or semiempirical). So, is it a deficiency of the theoretical >approach or is it just a question of the accuracy of the calculation? Thanks a lot to all who replied, Peter Gedeck ============================================================ Summary - Scaling of vibrational frequencies: ------------------------------------------------------------ Suggested literature: o J. A. Pople, R. Krishnan, H. B. Schlegel, D. DeFrees, J. S. Binkley, M. J. Frisch, R. F. Whiteside, R. F. Hout and W. J. Hehre, Int. J. Quantum Chem., Quantum Chem. Symposium, 15 (1981) 269. o MP2 scaling D. J. DeFrees, J Comp Chem 82 (1985) 333. o B.H. Besler, et.al., J. Chem. Phys. 89(1) (1988) 360. o Possible sources of error in empirical scaling... C. L. Janssen and H. F. Schaefer, J Chem Phys 95 (1991) 5128. o J.F. Stanton, et.al., J. Chem. Phys. 94(1) (1991) 404. o M. Flock and M. Ramek, Int J. Quantum Chem., Quantum Chem. Symposium 27 (1993) 331-341. o There is also a recent (ca. 1993) paper by Pople et al in Israel J Chem on scaling MP2 freqs. o A. P. Scott et.al. Israel J. Chem. 33 (1993) 345. o Ab Initio Molecular Orbital Theory - by Hehre, Radom, Schleyer and Pople. (Wiley, New York, 1986) Possible reasons for the deficiency of simple HF-calculations: Vibrational frequencies are usually calculated from the normal mode frequencies using a harmonic osciallator model - Zero point energy - Anharmonicity in the vibrational potential energy surface - Basis sets are too small - neglect of electron correlation - the Hartree-Fock potential is too steep and therefore frequencies too high. ============================================================ Following are all responses (edited): ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Dave Young The answer is that all of these frequencies are being computed with a harmonic oscilator approximation. For high frequency modes, the difference between the harmonic oscilator prediction and the exact or Morse potential like behavior is about 10% . If you try to look at very low frequency modes, below a few hundred wave numbers, you will see that the frequencies calculated are off by a large amount. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: "David W. Ewing (216) 397-4241" There are three sources of error in the calculation of vibrational frequencies via ab initio methods: calculated frequencies are usually harmonic, basis sets are too samll, and electron correlation is neglected or inadequately treated. For discussions of the last two factors, see B.H. Besler, et.al., J. Chem. Phys. 89(1), 360 (1988). J.F. Stanton, et.al., J. Chem. Phys. 94(1), 404 (1991). ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Anthony P Scott The scaling of calculated harmonic vibrational frequencies to match the experimentally determined (anharmonic) vibrational frequencies is designed to allow for the harmonic approximation that is used in the theoretically determined values. Our paper, Israel J. Chem. 1993, 33, 345 is a good place to start when exploring this. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Doug Fox The vibrational frequencies predicted by ab initio and semi empirical methods are almost all harmonic approximations and limited in some respect by the dissociation behaviour of the underlying method. The first approximation tends to produce values higher than experimental due to the lack of anharmonic corrections. The improper dissociation behaviour also tends toward high estimates because most SCF based methods tend not to dissociate and single configuration representations tend to be worse away from equilibrium. The remarkable result of the above facts is that for a wide range of molecules studied at the HF level a scaling of 0.89 or about about 12% brings the frequencies into good agreement with experiment. Much better than attempting to correct the problem with high order correlation treatments. A different scaling should be used for MP2 or higher order corrected methods but as you noted often this is not done. There is a good bit of discussion of the results in "Ab Initio Molecular Orbital Theory" by Hehre, Radom, Schleyer and Pople. There are some recent papers which are revisiting this issue. Aue and co-workers have told me they have one in press using MP2 results. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: "E. Lewars" The general belief seems to be that it's because the calculations (which use the eigenvalues of a force constant matrix) assume the vibrations are harmonic. However, it has been claimed that "this straightfoward looking consideration is wrong..."; see M. Flock and M. Ramek, Int J. Quantum Chem., Quantum Chem. Symposium 27, 331-341 (1993). Some other refs to vib freq scaling are Possible sources of error in empirical scaling... C. L. Janssen and H. F. Schaefer, J Chem Phys 1991 95 5128. MP2 scaling D. J. DeFrees, J Comp Chem 1985 82 333. There is also a recent (ca. 1993) paper by Pople et al in Israel J Chem on scaling MP2 freqs. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Per-Ola Norrby It's a little of both. If you look at earlier postings to this list, you can see that the correction factors are different for different levels of theory, so low level calculations are certainly slightly deficient in the description of the energy hypersurface. However, vibrational frequencies are usually calculated from the Hessian with no consideration of higher derivatives. This gives an harmonic approximation, resulting in a slightly to "hard" system and too high calculated frequencies. Naturally, having one scaling factor for all frequencies at one level of theory is an oversimplification, but I don't know of anyone who tried anything more complicated. If you do, it might not be "ab initio" anymore... ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Csonka Gabor The IR scaling factor IS method dependent. The 0.9 is for HF. For MP2 you should use different scaling. For DFT or CCSD(T) you usually get the correct harmonic frequencies within an error bar, so no scaling is necessary. The scaling is mainly for the zero point energy, and it may give wrong results for individual freqs. I refer to Hehre et al.: ad Initio MO Theory book (Wiley, 1986) and the work P. Pulay and G. Fogarasy ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Adel El-Azhary The ab initio frequencies calculated at the Hartree Fock level are usually overestimated by about 10-20%. This is due to the incompletness of the basis set used, neglect of anharmonicity and neglect of the electron correlation. Frequencies calculated at the MP2 level of theory are overestimated by about 5-10%. This is due to inclusion of the electron correlation at the second level but higher excitations in the wave funcation are also neglected. You can look at the JPC, 1987, there is a paper by R. Amos about furan, pyrrole and thiophene. These is also a paper accepted for publication very recently by Petr Bour in the JPC where frequencies were calculated at the HF, MP2 and MP2 anharmonic also. This is in addition to the other references mentioned in the e-mail you received through the CCL. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Janet Del Bene < /at\vm.gmd.de:FR042008 /at\YSUB.BITNET> Ab initio calculations of vibrational frequencies at the Hartree-Fock level are too high compared to experimental frequencies. The scaling (0.89) is an empirical adjustment that brings the computed frequencies into better agreement with the experimental. That computed Hartree-Fock frequencies are too high is a result of two factors: 1) the computed frequencies are based on a parabolic potential and are harmonic, whereas the experimental frequencies are anharmonic; 2) the Hartree-Fock potential is too steep and as a result, frequencies are too high. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: /at\uunet.uu.net:aefrisch /at\m10.UUCP (AEleen Frisch) The reference for the HF frequency scale factor is: J. A. Pople, R. Krishnan, H. B. Schlegel, D. DeFrees, J. S. Binkley, M. J. Frisch, R. F. Whiteside, R. F. Hout and W. J. Hehre, Int. J. Quantum Chem., Quantum Chem. Symposium, 15, 269 (1981). Scaling is done to account for well-known, systematic errors in Hartree-Fock frequencies due to its neglect of electron correlation. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Kui Zhang The fellowing paper and book will answer your question: J.A. Pople et al, Ab Initio Molecular Orbital Theory (Wiley, New York, 1986). H.F. Schaefer III et al, J. Chem. Phys. 95, 5128 (1991). ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Eric Bittner The scaling looks like a fudge factor to compensate for zero point energy and anharmonicity in the vibrational potential energy surface. In most structure calculations, the vbrational frequencies are just the normal mode frequencies...i.e harmonic classical motion. ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Patrick Bultinck Well, you can't really call it a deficiency in the calculation, but there is a deficiency in the model used for the vibrations... it's the harmonic approximation. This way you get frequencies that are too big, and that's why we use a 0.89 scaling factor. Intensities are even worse, they use the double harmonic approximations... I think about every book on advanced QC will give some insight (Daudel e.g., Pople et al. "Ab Initio MO theory...) ------------------------------------------------------------ From: Earl EVLETH p 74208 The scaling factor 0.89 came from HF 6-31G* level calculations. Larger basis sets might change that scaling and MP2 level calculations at the 6-31G* will change it into the 0.95 or 0.96 range. However, Pulay showed years ago when he did his modeling of various structures, scaling factor depends on the type of vibration one is dealing with, i.e. bond stretching, bond bending, and torsional modes. He scaled force constants, not the final vibrational frequencies. Therefore, the 0.89 magic number is just a convenient, practically off-the-top-of-one's-head factor useable for HF 6-31G* calculations. The computed low energy torsional modes are largely fiction and scaling or not scaling them is a technical detail. As for nearly pure bending and stretching (little coupling) these might be pretty good. Some people find that good old semiempirical calculations gives good unscaled results! ------------------------------------------------------------ Peter Gedeck Inst. f. Physikalische Chemie I Egerlandstrasse 3 91058 Erlangen Germany Tel: ++9131 - 85 7335 Fax: ++9131 - 85 8307 E-Mail: gedeck \\at// pctc.chemie.uni-erlangen.de WWW: http://pctc.chemie.uni-erlangen.de/~gedeck/gedeck.html