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This content will become publicly available on October 9, 2026

Title: The Electronic Structure of Zirconium and Hafnium Monochalcogenides
High-level ab initio CCSD(T) and spin-orbit icMRCI+Q calculations were used to predict potential energy curves (PECs) for the lowest-lying states of ZrO, ZrS, HfO, and HfS. The prediction of the ground state is basis set dependent at the icMRCI+Q level for ZrO and ZrS due to the small singlet-triplet splitting between the lowest 1Σ+ and 3Δ states. CCSD(T) with a spin orbit correction predicted the 1Σ+ ground state in agreement with experiment. New all-electron basis sets were developed for Hf to improve the results over those predicted by use of effective core potentials (ECPs) that subsume the 4f electrons into the definition of the core. The use of the new DK-4f basis sets rather than ECPs became more important for HfO and HfS where there is a lack of a good core-valence separation. icMRCI+Q, CCSD(T), and DFT calculations for the spectroscopic parameters of ZrO, ZrS, HfO, and HfS were benchmarked with available experimental data. Bond dissociation energies (BDEs) of these four systems were calculated at the Feller-Peterson-Dixon (FPD) level to be 762.1 (ZrO), 543.5 (ZrS), 803.8 (HfO), and 575.1 kJ/mol (HfS), in excellent agreement with experiment. The HfS BDE was remeasured using the R3PI method, providing an updated experimental measurement of D0(HfS) = 5.978 ± 0.002 eV = 576.8 ± 0.2 kJ/mol. This experimental value, combined with experimental measurements of the ionization energies of Hf and HfS, gives the cationic BDE of D0(Hf+-S) = 5.124 ± 0.002 eV = 494.4 ± 0.2 kJ/mol.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2305293
PAR ID:
10648128
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
American Chemical Society
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A
Volume:
129
Issue:
40
ISSN:
1089-5639
Page Range / eLocation ID:
9325 to 9341
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
zirconium hafnium zirconium sulfide zirconium oxide hafnium oxide hafnium sulfide diatomic molecules electronic structure bond dissociation energy
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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