HgH2 meets relativistic quantum crystallography. How to teach relativity to a non-relativistic wavefunction

Acta Crystallogr A Found Adv. 2021 Jan 1;77(Pt 1):54-66. doi: 10.1107/S2053273320014837. Epub 2021 Jan 5.

Abstract

The capability of X-ray constrained wavefunction (XCW) fitting to introduce relativistic effects into a non-relativistic wavefunction is tested. It is quantified how much of the reference relativistic effects can be absorbed in the non-relativistic XCW calculation when fitted against relativistic structure factors of a model HgH2 molecule. Scaling of the structure-factor sets to improve the agreement statistics is found to introduce a significant systematic error into the XCW fitting of relativistic effects.

Keywords: X-ray constrained wavefunction; charge density; quantum crystallography; relativistic effects; scaling.