Relativistic zeroth-order regular approximation combined with nonhybrid and hybrid density functional theory: Performance for NMR indirect nuclear spin-spin coupling in heavy metal compounds

A benchmark study for relativistic density functional calculations of NMR spin-spin coupling constants has been performed. The test set contained 47 complexes with heavy metal atoms (W, Pt, Hg, Tl, Pb) with a total of 88 coupling constants involving one or two heavy metal atoms. One-, two-, three-, and four-bond spin-spin couplings have been computed at different levels of theory (nonhybrid vs hybrid DFT, scalar vs two-component relativistic). The computational model was based on geometries fully optimized at the BP/TZP scalar relativistic zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA) and the conductor-like screening model (COSMO) to include solvent effects. The NMR computations also employed the continuum solvent model. Computations in the gas phase were performed in order to assess the importance of the solvation model. The relative median deviations between various computational models and experiment were found to range between 13% and 21%, with the highest-level computational model (hybrid density functional computations including scalar plus spin-orbit relativistic effects, the COSMO solvent model, and a Gaussian finite-nucleus model) performing best.