Bernardo de Souza
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bernadsz.bsky.social
Bernardo de Souza
@bernadsz.bsky.social
Nature lover. Curious turned scientist. Part of the ORCA development team. Now bringing Quantum Theory and Molecular Physics to the real world at @faccts-orca.bsky.social

https://scholar.google.com.br/citations?user=U6szjgMAAAAJ&hl=pt-BR
Pinned
Very cool to see the massive migration! For all the new ppl:

Here's an ORCA developer and working at @faccts-orca.bsky.social to bring #compchem closer to industry. We're succeeding so far 🤓!

Main topics:

* New optim. algo.
* Speed up calcs.
* Huge scale QM
* Excited states
* ML-boost-to QC

👋🫡
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Most people know us for our contributions to ORCA — but have you heard of WEASEL?

WEASEL is our smart workflow driver that delivers efficient workflows for complex quantum chemical processes.

Learn more about WEASEL at www.faccts.de/weasel

youtu.be/stYgkMZwi5s

#WEASEL #FACCTs #CompChem #ChemSky
WEASEL
YouTube video by FACCTs
youtu.be
October 27, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Running bad DFT calculations very fast is easy, and it's also useless. That's why we put a lot of effort in the last few years in making ORCA faster, while at the same time *increasing* the accuracy.

1/3

arxiv.org/abs/2510.197...
How Accurate Are DFT Forces? Unexpectedly Large Uncertainties in Molecular Datasets
Training of general-purpose machine learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) relies on large datasets with properties usually computed with density functional theory (DFT). A pre-requisite for accurate...
arxiv.org
October 24, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
It's 10-23 day! So we decided to make a new release:
- AutoOptimize Tool 🎉
- New charts and spectra
- Easier geometry constraints, including for ORCA input
- Plenty of bug fixes and tweaks

discuss.avogadro.cc/t/avogadro-1...
October 23, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
We are visiting STC in Berlin! Come and join us at our poster presentation—we look forward to many exciting discussions with you! Also check out all the new ORCA features and the new ORCA Python interface, OPI!

#FACCTs #ORCAqc #STC2025 #CompChem #TheoChem
September 22, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Visit Anneke Dittmer, Bernardo de Souza, and Christoph Riplinger at the SMASH in beautiful Porto! Get the latest information about our quantum chemical NMR toolkit. We look forward to seeing you there!

#FACCTs #ORCAqc #SMASH2025 #CompChem #TheoChem #NMR
September 22, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Great to see many of our collaborators and friends from the ORCA community including Michael Römelt, Dimitrios Pantazis, @podewitzlab.bsky.social, @letigonzalez.bsky.social, @kulikgroup.bsky.social, and many more at the QBIC VII in Berlin, Germany!

#QBICVII #CompChemSky #ChemSky #ORCAqc #ORCA
August 27, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Create input and parse output of ORCA with the new ORCA Python Interface (OPI), an open source project supported by FACCTs. Check it out and become part of the OPI community!

GitHub: github.com/faccts/opi
Docs: www.faccts.de/docs/opi/1.0...

#ORCAqc #Python #FACCTs #CompChem #QuantumChem
GitHub - faccts/opi: ORCA Python Interface
ORCA Python Interface. Contribute to faccts/opi development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
June 23, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Hot off the press: “A Two-Level Preconditioner for the CASSCF Linear-Response Equations” by our scientific advisor Benjamin Helmich-Paris (@orca-qc-official.bsky.social). Its already part of ORCA 6.1, check it out!

doi.org/10.1021/acs....

#ORCA #ORCAqc #CompChem #QuantumChem #TheoChem #CASSCF
A Two-Level Preconditioner for the CASSCF Linear-Response Equations
We present an efficient two-level strategy to accelerate the solution of the CASSCF linear-response eigenvalue problem using a customized Davidson algorithm. By identifying a subset of important response-vector components─the so-called P space─we compute and diagonalize full Hessian and metric matrix elements while treating the remaining Q-space components with a diagonal approximation. This approach decouples the orbital and configuration responses, enabling independent preconditioning of each component. Computational cost is further reduced through the resolution-of-the-identity approximation. We demonstrate significant performance gains across a diverse set of molecules, achieving speedups of up to 2.05 compared to the standard diagonal preconditioning. The largest efficiency gains are observed for MCTDA calculations involving many excited states and relatively small response-vector lengths. The two-level strategy is available in ORCA 6.1 and paves the way for extensions to dynamic polarizabilities, which require solving large-scale linear equations, as well as to time-dependent density functional theory and CI singles.
doi.org
August 25, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Check out the recent paper by List, Neese et al. that ones more demonstrates the synergy of experiment and quantum chemistry powered by ORCA (DFT, GOAT, ...) @faccts.de @orca-qc-official.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1021/jacs...

ORCA: www.faccts.de/orca/

#ORCAqc #ORCA #Catalysis #CompChem #QuantumChem
Pericyclic Umpolung in a Catalytic Asymmetric Diels–Alder Reaction of Tropone with Enol Ethers
One remarkable feature of catalysis in chemical synthesis is its capacity to override substrate-imposed reactivity and selectivity. The inversion of normal reaction patterns, commonly known as Umpolun...
doi.org
August 19, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
ORCA Python Interface – Macs in Chemistry
macinchem.org
August 16, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Update on the last post about two similar structures differing by ~ 33 kcal/mol. We split intro three fragments and saturated with Hs to check the contribution per fragment.

The large total energy difference is explained trivially from a sum of the frag. contribution. 1/3

#compchem
August 15, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Check out the recent paper on Excited-state methods based on state-averaged long-range CASSCF short-range DFT by Benjamin Helmich-Paris et al. And how to use it in ORCA 6.1.

doi.org/10.1039/D5CP...

www.faccts.de/docs/orca/6....

#ORCAqc #CompChem #QuantumChem #ChemSky #DFT
Excited-state methods based on state-averaged long-range CASSCF short-range DFT
In the present work we propose two distinct state-averaging (SA)-based methodologies for the calculation of excited states, in conjunction with the long-range complete active space self-consistent fie...
doi.org
August 4, 2025 at 1:36 PM
How complicated is the conformational space of molecules? Here is a fun one I found working on something:

These two structures have an RMSD of 0.45 Angs, but are **40 kcal/mol** apart in energy! I double checked, that's not a mistake, and the energy level was high.

Never underestimate!

#compchem
July 30, 2025 at 7:54 AM
The preliminary version of g-xTB from Stefan Grimme's group can already be used with ORCA 6.1. Check it out!

If you find any problems, please report to the team, it is on everyone's best interest to find any bugs/issues and fix them. 🙏
faccts.de FACCTs @faccts.de · Jun 26
You can now use g-xTB @grimmelab.bsky.social with ORCA via the ExtOpt feature! Check out our new tutorial and learn how to use it in GOAT, NEB-TS and more.

www.faccts.de/docs/orca/6....

#ORCAqc #FACCTs #gxTB #CompChem #QuantumChem
ORCA as External Optimizer - ORCA 6.1 TUTORIALS
www.faccts.de
June 27, 2025 at 6:03 AM
The successor of GFN2-xTB, g-xTB, is out there. Brace yourselves, there is a whole new world of possibilities out there now! 🚀

Congratulations on the team, as @mrclmllr.bsky.social says, this is certainly a revolution.
After years of development and preparatory works which you might have seen on this profile, a major milestone is achieved:
g-xTB marks not just an evolution, but a revolution in the capabilities of semiempirical quantum chemistry. Convince yourself! A thread.
🔗 chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
#compchem
g-xTB: A General-Purpose Extended Tight-Binding Electronic Structure Method For the Elements H to Lr (Z=1–103)
We present g-xTB, a next-generation semi-empirical electronic structure method derived from tight-binding (TB) approximations to Kohn–Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT). Designed to bridge the ga...
chemrxiv.org
June 24, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
We are visiting the WATOC 2025, Oslo! Come and visit our booth to discuss and join Christoph Riplingers talk on

Tuesday, 18:30 - Deciphering Ligand Interactions with Biomolecules Using Quantum Mechanical Methods

Hope to see you there!

#FACCTs #WATOC2025 #CompChemSky #ChemSky #ORCAqc #ORCA61
June 22, 2025 at 8:33 AM
I will be in Oslo for the #WATOC2025 from tomorrow. We will also have a booth as FACCTs there.

Please reach out if you want to chat, even if only to make a coffee pause 😉

#compchem
June 21, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Missed the ORCA 6.1 release event? All talks are now online on our YouTube channel!

www.youtube.com/@faccts_orca

ORCA 6.1 Release Event Playlist:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRSk...

#ORCA61 #ORCAqc #FACCTs #MPIKOFO #CompChem #QuantumChem #ChemSky #CompChemSky
FACCTs
FACCTs is bringing the ORCA software to industry - promoting the next Quantum leaps in the Pharma, Materials and Chemical Industries.
www.youtube.com
June 18, 2025 at 3:49 PM
ORCA 6.1 is out! Now integrating ML potentials with the ExtOpt driver.

Here is the resulting ensemble of a GOAT conformational search using the UMA machine-learning model potential on a Pd-carbene metal complex.

Might be interesting for your research too @samblau.bsky.social
June 18, 2025 at 6:36 AM
The ORCA 6.1 release event is happening right now:

eu02web.zoom.us/j/6815327020...

Passcode: 297206 , if needed

#compchem
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.
eu02web.zoom.us
June 17, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
ORCA 6.1 will be released tomorrow after the online event to which you are all invited! As a final appetiser, we have a sneak preview of some new methods that will be available in the new version.

#ORCA61 #ORCAqc #CompChem #QuantumChem #TheoChem #FACCTs #MPIKOFO #ChemSky #CompChemSky
June 16, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Join us for the ORCA 6.1 online release event!

ZOOM Webinar

ORCA 6.1 Release Event - Jun 17, 2025 12:00 AM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna (CEST)

Link: eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/6815327020...

Passcode: 297206

#ORCA61 #ORCAqc #FACCTs #CompChem #QuantumChem #ChemSky #CompChemSky
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Working on the presentation for the ORCA 6.1 release event (next Tuesday, 17/06!). Here's a fun example of some new features.

I took the protein+ligand 7PFM, used the new fragmentation tool (by N. Foglia) to automatically split it into all its residues and the ligand (differentiated by color). 1/2
June 12, 2025 at 9:03 PM
The new auto-fragmentation feature on the upcoming ORCA 6.1 is a big quality-of-life improvement!

It can be combined with other things for an automated coase-graining of any PES, and speed up large optimizations, GOAT and etc. More on the release event.
faccts.de FACCTs @faccts.de · Jun 10
New week, new ORCA 6.1 features (@faccts.de & @orca-qc-official.bsky.social )! Today we preview some improvements for multiscale- and large molecule simulations as well as some new properties and utilities. Stay tuned!

#ORCA61 #ORCAqc #FACCTs #QuantumChem #CompChem #ChemSky #CompChemSky
June 10, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Bernardo de Souza
Save the Date! Join us for the ORCA 6.1 (@faccts.de & @orca-qc-official.bsky.social) online release event on 17th June 2025 12:00 CEST. We look forward to many exciting discussions with you!

#ORCAqc #ORCA61 #FACCTs #QuantumChem #CompChem #ChemSky #CompChemSky
June 5, 2025 at 1:25 PM