Mark A. Watson

Bio: Mark A. Watson is an academic researcher from Schrödinger. The author has contributed to research in topics: Density functional theory & Hybrid functional. The author has an hindex of 21, co-authored 32 publications receiving 4616 citations. Previous affiliations of Mark A. Watson include University of Cambridge & Harvard University.

Advances in molecular quantum chemistry contained in the Q-Chem 4 program package

Abstract: A summary of the technical advances that are incorporated in the fourth major release of the Q-Chem quantum chemistry program is provided, covering approximately the last seven years. These include developments in density functional theory methods and algorithms, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) property evaluation, coupled cluster and perturbation theories, methods for electronically excited and open-shell species, tools for treating extended environments, algorithms for walking on potential surfaces, analysis tools, energy and electron transfer modelling, parallel computing capabilities, and graphical user interfaces. In addition, a selection of example case studies that illustrate these capabilities is given. These include extensive benchmarks of the comparative accuracy of modern density functionals for bonded and non-bonded interactions, tests of attenuated second order Moller–Plesset (MP2) methods for intermolecular interactions, a variety of parallel performance benchmarks, and tests of the accuracy of implicit solvation models. Some specific chemical examples include calculations on the strongly correlated Cr_2 dimer, exploring zeolite-catalysed ethane dehydrogenation, energy decomposition analysis of a charged ter-molecular complex arising from glycerol photoionisation, and natural transition orbitals for a Frenkel exciton state in a nine-unit model of a self-assembling nanotube.

The Dalton quantum chemistry program system

Abstract: Dalton is a powerful general-purpose program system for the study of molecular electronic structure at the Hartree-Fock, Kohn-Sham, multiconfigurational self-consistent-field, MOller-Plesset, confi ...

Analytical calculation of nuclear magnetic resonance indirect spin–spin coupling constants at the generalized gradient approximation and hybrid levels of density-functional theory

Abstract: A fully analytical implementation of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) indirect nuclear spin–spin coupling constants at the density-functional theory (DFT) level is presented. The implementation involves all four contributions of the nonrelativistic Ramsey theory: The dia- and para-magnetic spin–orbit contributions as well as the paramagnetic Fermi-contact and spin–dipole contributions. Three different exchange-correlation functionals—LDA (local density approximation), BLYP (Becke–Lee–Yang–Parr), and B3LYP (hybrid BLYP)—are tested by comparison with experiment and high-level ab initio calculations for a series of molecules containing first-row elements. All three levels of theory represent a significant improvement on restrictred Hartree–Fock (RHF) theory in the sense that the RHF instability problems are absent in DFT. Also, there is a steady improvement in the quality of the calculated spin–spin couplings in the sequence LDA, BLYP, and B3LYP. For the first-row molecules investigated by us, the hybrid...

N-Electron Valence State Perturbation Theory Based on a Density Matrix Renormalization Group Reference Function, with Applications to the Chromium Dimer and a Trimer Model of Poly(p-Phenylenevinylene).

Abstract: The strongly contracted variant of second-order N-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) is an efficient perturbative method to treat dynamic correlation without the problems of intruder states or level shifts, while the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) provides the capability to address static correlation in large active spaces. We present a combination of the DMRG and strongly contracted NEVPT2 (DMRG-SC-NEVPT2) that uses an efficient algorithm to compute high-order reduced-density matrices from DMRG wave functions. The capabilities of DMRG-SC-NEVPT2 are demonstrated on calculations of the chromium dimer potential energy curve at the basis set limit, and the excitation energies of a trimer model of poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV(n = 3)).

Automated Transition State Search and Its Application to Diverse Types of Organic Reactions

Abstract: Transition state search is at the center of multiple types of computational chemical predictions related to mechanistic investigations, reactivity and regioselectivity predictions, and catalyst design The process of finding transition states in practice is, however, a laborious multistep operation that requires significant user involvement Here, we report a highly automated workflow designed to locate transition states for a given elementary reaction with minimal setup overhead The only essential inputs required from the user are the structures of the separated reactants and products The seamless workflow combining computational technologies from the fields of cheminformatics, molecular mechanics, and quantum chemistry automatically finds the most probable correspondence between the atoms in the reactants and the products, generates a transition state guess, launches a transition state search through a combined approach involving the relaxing string method and the quadratic synchronous transit, and fi

Quantum mechanical continuum solvation models.

Abstract: 6.2.2. Definition of Effective Properties 3064 6.3. Response Properties to Magnetic Fields 3066 6.3.1. Nuclear Shielding 3066 6.3.2. Indirect Spin−Spin Coupling 3067 6.3.3. EPR Parameters 3068 6.4. Properties of Chiral Systems 3069 6.4.1. Electronic Circular Dichroism (ECD) 3069 6.4.2. Optical Rotation (OR) 3069 6.4.3. VCD and VROA 3070 7. Continuum and Discrete Models 3071 7.1. Continuum Methods within MD and MC Simulations 3072

A Chemist's Guide to Density Functional Theory

Abstract: "Chemists familiar with conventional quantum mechanics will applaud and benefit greatly from this particularly instructive, thorough and clearly written exposition of density functional theory: its basis, concepts, terms, implementation, and performance in diverse applications. Users of DFT for structure, energy, and molecular property computations, as well as reaction mechanism studies, are guided to the optimum choices of the most effective methods. Well done!" Paul von RaguE Schleyer "A conspicuous hole in the computational chemist's library is nicely filled by this book, which provides a wide-ranging and pragmatic view of the subject.[...It] should justifiably become the favorite text on the subject for practioneers who aim to use DFT to solve chemical problems." J. F. Stanton, J. Am. Chem. Soc. "The authors' aim is to guide the chemist through basic theoretical and related technical aspects of DFT at an easy-to-understand theoretical level. They succeed admirably." P. C. H. Mitchell, Appl. Organomet. Chem. "The authors have done an excellent service to the chemical community. [...] A Chemist's Guide to Density Functional Theory is exactly what the title suggests. It should be an invaluable source of insight and knowledge for many chemists using DFT approaches to solve chemical problems." M. Kaupp, Angew. Chem.

Advances in molecular quantum chemistry contained in the Q-Chem 4 program package

Abstract: A summary of the technical advances that are incorporated in the fourth major release of the Q-Chem quantum chemistry program is provided, covering approximately the last seven years. These include developments in density functional theory methods and algorithms, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) property evaluation, coupled cluster and perturbation theories, methods for electronically excited and open-shell species, tools for treating extended environments, algorithms for walking on potential surfaces, analysis tools, energy and electron transfer modelling, parallel computing capabilities, and graphical user interfaces. In addition, a selection of example case studies that illustrate these capabilities is given. These include extensive benchmarks of the comparative accuracy of modern density functionals for bonded and non-bonded interactions, tests of attenuated second order Moller–Plesset (MP2) methods for intermolecular interactions, a variety of parallel performance benchmarks, and tests of the accuracy of implicit solvation models. Some specific chemical examples include calculations on the strongly correlated Cr_2 dimer, exploring zeolite-catalysed ethane dehydrogenation, energy decomposition analysis of a charged ter-molecular complex arising from glycerol photoionisation, and natural transition orbitals for a Frenkel exciton state in a nine-unit model of a self-assembling nanotube.

RESEARCH ARTICLE Advances in molecular quantum chemistry contained in the Q-Chem 4 program package

Abstract: A summary of the technical advances that are incorporated in the fourth major release of the Q-Chem quantum chemistry program is provided, covering approximately the last seven years. These include developments in density functional theory methods and algorithms, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) property evaluation, coupled cluster and perturbation theories, methods for electronically excited and open-shell species, tools for treating extended environments, algorithms for walking on potential surfaces, analysis tools, energy and electron transfer modelling, parallel computing capabilities, and graphical user interfaces. In addition, a selection of example case studies that illustrate these capabilities is given. These include extensive benchmarks of the comparative accuracy of modern density functionals for bonded and non-bonded interactions, tests of attenuated second order Møller–Plesset (MP2) methods for intermolecular interactions, a variety of parallel performance benchmarks, and tests of the accuracy of implicit solvation models. Some specific chemical examples include calculations on the strongly correlated Cr2 dimer, exploring zeolite-catalysed ethane dehydrogenation, energy decomposition analysis of a charged ter-molecular complex arising from glycerol photoionisation, and natural transition orbitals for a Frenkel exciton state in a nine-unit model of a self-assembling nanotube.