Transition state search from frequency calculation


Clicked A Few Times
Hi All

I am trying to perform transition state searches for oxidations of small molecules. I am very familiar with how this is done in the program Turbomole. I am now in a position where I am using NWchem for the same task and I have problems with the syntax of the transition state search.
The example here is a phenolic hydrogen abstraction of acetaminophen. I am using a methoxy radical as the reactive specie.
My workflow is:

constrained geometry optimization
geometry
 load geometry.xyz
end
memory 1000 mb
basis
 * library 6-31g
end
dft
 xc b3lyp
 mult 2
 iterations 300
 direct
end
geometry adjust
 zcoord
  bond 13 21 1.21 constant
  bond  9 13 0.94 constant
 end
end
driver
 xyz test
 maxiter 50
end
task dft optimize


frequency calculation
restart consgeo
memory 1000 mb
geometry adjust
 zcoord
  bond 13 21 1.21
  bond  9 13 0.94
 end
end
freq
 animate
end
task dft freq


transition state search
restart consgeo
memory 1000 mb
task dft saddle


This is the first line of output frequencies:
Frequency       -339.75      -54.43        5.32        9.09       12.46       15.11


The first frequency is along the reaction coordinates, however, these frequencies does not match what I expect for a hydrogen abstraction - is there a way to increase precision?

My transition state search finishes just fine however the geometry and energy does not match the ones I used to get with Turbomole using the same functional and basis. I am not sure that the saddle task uses the information from the frequency calculation. How can I specify to the program that it is the first imaginary frequency on which I want to perform the saddle point search?

Thanks and best regards,
Rasmus

Forum Vet
Rasmus, the introduction of the line grid fine (or xfine) in the DFT field should improve the accuracy of the frequencies calculation
dft
 xc b3lyp
 mult 2
 iterations 300
 direct
 convergence energy 1d-8
 grid fine
end

Clicked A Few Times
Thank you very much I will try this immediately.

When I perform the saddle point search after the frequency calculation, will the task automatically search along the first mode from the frequency calculation?

Thanks and best regards,
Rasmus

Clicked A Few Times
Just to provide closure to this subject I will confirm that indeed it does search along the first mode from the frequency calculation.


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