Sean T. Holmes

Bio: Sean T. Holmes is an academic researcher from University of Delaware. The author has contributed to research in topics: Density functional theory & Electromagnetic shielding. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 21 publications receiving 258 citations. Previous affiliations of Sean T. Holmes include Florida State University & University of Windsor.

Critical Analysis of Cluster Models and Exchange-Correlation Functionals for Calculating Magnetic Shielding in Molecular Solids

Abstract: Calculations of the principal components of magnetic-shielding tensors in crystalline solids require the inclusion of the effects of lattice structure on the local electronic environment to obtain significant agreement with experimental NMR measurements. We assess periodic (GIPAW) and GIAO/symmetry-adapted cluster (SAC) models for computing magnetic-shielding tensors by calculations on a test set containing 72 insulating molecular solids, with a total of 393 principal components of chemical-shift tensors from 13C, 15N, 19F, and 31P sites. When clusters are carefully designed to represent the local solid-state environment and when periodic calculations include sufficient variability, both methods predict magnetic-shielding tensors that agree well with experimental chemical-shift values, demonstrating the correspondence of the two computational techniques. At the basis-set limit, we find that the small differences in the computed values have no statistical significance for three of the four nuclides conside...

Density functional investigation of intermolecular effects on 13C NMR chemical-shielding tensors modeled with molecular clusters

Abstract: A quantum-chemical method for modeling solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance chemical-shift tensors by calculations on large symmetry-adapted clusters of molecules is demonstrated. Four hundred sixty five principal components of the 13C chemical-shielding tensors of 24 organic materials are analyzed. The comparison of calculations on isolated molecules with molecules in clusters demonstrates that intermolecular effects can be successfully modeled using a cluster that represents a local portion of the lattice structure, without the need to use periodic-boundary conditions (PBCs). The accuracy of calculations which model the solid state using a cluster rivals the accuracy of calculations which model the solid state using PBCs, provided the cluster preserves the symmetry properties of the crystalline space group. The size and symmetry conditions that the model cluster must satisfy to obtain significant agreement with experimental chemical-shift values are discussed. The symmetry constraints described in the paper provide a systematic approach for incorporating intermolecular effects into chemical-shielding calculations performed at a level of theory that is more advanced than the generalized gradient approximation. Specifically, NMR parameters are calculated using the hybrid exchange-correlation functional B3PW91, which is not available in periodic codes. Calculations on structures of four molecules refined with density plane waves yield chemical-shielding values that are essentially in agreement with calculations on clusters where only the hydrogen sites are optimized and are used to provide insight into the inherent sensitivity of chemical shielding to lattice structure, including the role of rovibrational effects.

Refining Crystal Structures with Quadrupolar NMR and Dispersion-Corrected Density Functional Theory

Abstract: Nuclear electric field gradient (EFG) tensors obtained from solid-state NMR spectroscopy are highly responsive to variations in structural features. The orientations and principal components of EFG tensors show great variation between different molecular structures; hence, extraction of EFG tensor parameters, either experimentally or computationally, provides a powerful means for structure determination and refinement. Here, dispersion-corrected plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) is used to refine atomic coordinates in organic crystals determined initially through single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) or neutron diffraction methods. To accomplish this, an empirical parametrization of a two-body dispersion force field is illustrated, in which comparisons of experimental and calculated 14N, 17O, and 35Cl EFG tensor parameters are used to assess the quality of energy-minimized structures. The parametrization is based on a training set of 17 organic solids. The analysis is applied subsequently to the...

Semi-empirical refinements of crystal structures using 17O quadrupolar-coupling tensors

Abstract: We demonstrate a modification of Grimme’s two-parameter empirical dispersion force field (referred to as the PW91-D2* method), in which the damping function has been optimized to yield geometries that result in predictions of the principal values of 17O quadrupolar-coupling tensors that are systematically in close agreement with experiment. The predictions of 17O quadrupolar-coupling tensors using PW91-D2*-refined structures yield a root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) (0.28 MHz) for twenty-two crystalline systems that is smaller than the RMSD for predictions based on X-ray diffraction structures (0.58 MHz) or on structures refined with PW91 (0.53 MHz). In addition, 13C, 15N, and 17O chemical-shift tensors and 35Cl quadrupolar-coupling tensors determined with PW91-D2*-refined structures are compared to the experiment. Errors in the prediction of chemical-shift tensors and quadrupolar-coupling tensors are, in these cases, substantially lowered, as compared to predictions based on PW91-refined structures. With...

19F Magic Angle Spinning NMR Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory Calculations of Fluorosubstituted Tryptophans: Integrating Experiment and Theory for Accurate Determination of Chemical Shift Tensors.

Abstract: The 19F chemical shift is a sensitive NMR probe of structure and electronic environment in organic and biological molecules. In this report, we examine chemical shift parameters of 4F-, 5F-, 6F-, and 7F-substituted crystalline tryptophan by magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy and density functional theory. Significant narrowing of the 19F lines was observed under fast MAS conditions, at spinning frequencies above 50 kHz. The parameters characterizing the 19F chemical shift tensor are sensitive to the position of the fluorine in the aromatic ring and, to a lesser extent, the chirality of the molecule. Accurate calculations of 19F magnetic shielding tensors require the PBE0 functional with a 50% admixture of a Hartree–Fock exchange term, as well as taking account of the local crystal symmetry. The methodology developed will be beneficial for 19F-based MAS NMR structural analysis of proteins and protein assemblies.

Modeling Polymorphic Molecular Crystals with Electronic Structure Theory

Abstract: Interest in molecular crystals has grown thanks to their relevance to pharmaceuticals, organic semiconductor materials, foods, and many other applications. Electronic structure methods have become an increasingly important tool for modeling molecular crystals and polymorphism. This article reviews electronic structure techniques used to model molecular crystals, including periodic density functional theory, periodic second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory, fragment-based electronic structure methods, and diffusion Monte Carlo. It also discusses the use of these models for predicting a variety of crystal properties that are relevant to the study of polymorphism, including lattice energies, structures, crystal structure prediction, polymorphism, phase diagrams, vibrational spectroscopies, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Finally, tools for analyzing crystal structures and intermolecular interactions are briefly discussed.

A Million Crystal Structures: The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts

Abstract: The founding in 1965 of what is now called the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) has reaped dividends in numerous and diverse areas of chemical research. Each of the million or so crystal structures in the database was solved for its own particular reason, but collected together, the structures can be reused to address a multitude of new problems. In this Review, which is focused mainly on the last 10 years, we chronicle the contribution of the CSD to research into molecular geometries, molecular interactions, and molecular assemblies and demonstrate its value in the design of biologically active molecules and the solid forms in which they are delivered. Its potential in other commercially relevant areas is described, including gas storage and delivery, thin films, and (opto)electronics. The CSD also aids the solution of new crystal structures. Because no scientific instrument is without shortcomings, the limitations of CSD research are assessed. We emphasize the importance of maintaining database quality: notwithstanding the arrival of big data and machine learning, it remains perilous to ignore the principle of garbage in, garbage out. Finally, we explain why the CSD must evolve with the world around it to ensure it remains fit for purpose in the years ahead.

Benchmark fragment-based (1)H, (13)C, (15)N and (17)O chemical shift predictions in molecular crystals.

Abstract: The performance of fragment-based ab initio(1)H, (13)C, (15)N and (17)O chemical shift predictions is assessed against experimental NMR chemical shift data in four benchmark sets of molecular crystals. Employing a variety of commonly used density functionals (PBE0, B3LYP, TPSSh, OPBE, PBE, TPSS), we explore the relative performance of cluster, two-body fragment, and combined cluster/fragment models. The hybrid density functionals (PBE0, B3LYP and TPSSh) generally out-perform their generalized gradient approximation (GGA)-based counterparts. (1)H, (13)C, (15)N, and (17)O isotropic chemical shifts can be predicted with root-mean-square errors of 0.3, 1.5, 4.2, and 9.8 ppm, respectively, using a computationally inexpensive electrostatically embedded two-body PBE0 fragment model. Oxygen chemical shieldings prove particularly sensitive to local many-body effects, and using a combined cluster/fragment model instead of the simple two-body fragment model decreases the root-mean-square errors to 7.6 ppm. These fragment-based model errors compare favorably with GIPAW PBE ones of 0.4, 2.2, 5.4, and 7.2 ppm for the same (1)H, (13)C, (15)N, and (17)O test sets. Using these benchmark calculations, a set of recommended linear regression parameters for mapping between calculated chemical shieldings and observed chemical shifts are provided and their robustness assessed using statistical cross-validation. We demonstrate the utility of these approaches and the reported scaling parameters on applications to 9-tert-butyl anthracene, several histidine co-crystals, benzoic acid and the C-nitrosoarene SnCl2(CH3)2(NODMA)2.

Relativistic Heavy-Neighbor-Atom Effects on NMR Shifts: Concepts and Trends Across the Periodic Table

Abstract: Chemical shifts present crucial information about an NMR spectrum They show the influence of the chemical environment on the nuclei being probed Relativistic effects caused by the presence of an