Isomerism of CH 2 SO $$ {\mathbf{CH}}_{\mathbf{2}}\mathbf{SO} $$ : Accurate structural, energetic, and spectroscopic characterization.

A recent work [Ye et al. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 2023, 525, 1158] on the gas-phase formation of t-HC(O)SH, already detected in the interstellar medium, pointed out that the trans form of HC(S)OH is a potential candidate for astronomical observations. Prompted by these results, the CH 2 SO $$ {\mathrm{CH}}_2\mathrm{SO} $$ family of isomers has been investigated from an energetic point of view using a double-hybrid density functional in combination with a partially augmented triple-zeta basis set. This preliminary study showed that the most stable species of the family are the cis and trans forms of HC(O)SH and HC(S)OH. For their structural and spectroscopic characterization, a composite scheme based on coupled cluster (CC) calculations that incorporates up to the quadruple excitations and accounts for the extrapolation to the complete basis set limit and core correlation effects has been employed. This approach opens to the prediction of rotational constants with an accuracy of 0.1%. A hybrid scheme, based on harmonic frequencies computed using the CC singles, doubles and a perturbative treatment of triples method (CCSD(T)) in conjunction with a quadruple-zeta basis set, allowed us to obtain fundamental vibrational frequencies with a mean absolute error of about 1%.