Toward spectroscopic accuracy for the structures of large molecules at DFT cost : refinement and extension of the nano-LEGO approach

The SE100 database collecting accurate equilibrium geometries of medium size molecules obtained by the semi- experimental (SE) approach has been extended to species containing Br and I atoms. This has allowed the determination of accurate linear regressions between DFT and SE values for all the main bonds and angles involving H, B, C, N, O, F, P, S, Cl, Br, and I atoms. An improved Nano-LEGO tool has been developed, which is based on suitable hybrid and double hybrid functionals and combines in a fully coherent way the templating molecule and linear regression approaches. A number of case studies show that the new Nano LEGO tool provides geometrical parameters on par with state-of-the-art composite wave function methods, but can be routinely applied to medium- to large-size molecules. The accuracy reached for structural parameters is mirrored on rotational constants that can be predicted with an average error within 0.2%.