Simulation of microscopic chemical processes. III. Deactivation and dissociation of bromine in argon at high pressure

Previous numerical simulation of the vibrational relaxation of highly excited bromine in argon at different pressures is here extended in several ways.     

Theory of chemically activated unimolecular reactions. Weak collisions and steady states

The prediction of decomposition/stabilization ratios for chemically activated unimolecular reactions is usually based on the assumption of steady state and irreversible deactivation. The levels below the activation energy E_o are treated as a sink. In the present work we assume that the reaction can be described by a weak-collision master equation. An exact analysis shows that one can expect three timescales: an initial transient, an intermediate steady state, and an asymptotic steady state. The intermediate steady state is well defined only if the eigenvalues of the corresponding thermal rate matrix can be separated into two groups one of which contains eigenvalues of substantially smaller magnitude. An efficient and accurate method for the estimation of intermediate steady-state populations and branching ratios is described. It avoids the irreversible deactivation assumption which is shown to lead to errors particularly for weak collisions. The new analysis is illustrated in a series of calculations for a model of the sec-butyl radical system. The numerical solutions are readily obtained by use of a recently developed equilibrium finite-basis-set method.     

Statistical theory of collisional energy transfer in molecular collisions. trans-stilbene deactivation by argon, carbon dioxide, and n-heptane

Recent advances in experimental techniques have made it possible to measure the full conditional probability density P(E, E') of the energy transfer between two colliding molecules in the gas phase, one of which is highly energized and the other in thermal equilibrium at a given temperature. Data have now become available for trans-stilbene deactivation by the three bath gas molecules Ar, CO2, and n-heptane (C7H16). The initial energies of trans-stilbene are set to 10 000, 20 000, 30 000, and 40 000 cm (-1). The results show that exceptionally large amounts of energy are transferred in each collision. By application of our partially ergodic collision theory (PECT), we find that the energy transfer efficiency betaE ranges from a rather normal value of 0.15 for n-heptane at the highest excitation energy to 0.93-nearly in the ergodic collision limit-for the argon bath gas at high excitation energy. Generally, the PECT produces a good fit of the data except for the nearly elastic peak in the case of n-heptane, where PECT produces a rounded and downshifted peak in contrast to a sharply defined elastic maximum of the monoexponential functional fit produced from the original experimental data obtained by kinetically controlled selective ionization in the work of the group of Luther in G?ttingen. This problem is analyzed and found to be related partly to the lack of treatment of glancing collisions in the theory with a remaining uncertainty due to the weak dependence of energy transfer efficiency on nearly elastic collisions. A summary of the present state of understanding shows that collisional activation and deactivation of reactant molecules is more efficient and more statistical than has been previously realized.     

In silico prediction of drug solubility: 2. Free energy of solvation in pure melts

The solubility of drugs in water is investigated in a series of papers and in the current work. The free energy of solvation, DeltaG*(vl), of a drug molecule in its pure drug melt at 673.15 K (400 degrees C) has been obtained for 46 drug molecules using the free energy perturbation method. The simulations were performed in two steps where first the Coulomb and then the Lennard-Jones interactions were scaled down from full to no interaction. The results have been interpreted using a theory assuming that DeltaG*(vl) = DeltaG(cav) + E(LJ) + E(C)/2 where the free energy of cavity formation, DeltaG(cav), in these pure drug systems was obtained using hard body theories, and E(LJ) and E(C) are the Lennard-Jones and Coulomb interaction energies, respectively, of one molecule with the other ones. Since the main parameter in hard body theories is the volume fraction, an equation of state approach was used to estimate the molecular volume. Promising results were obtained using a theory for hard oblates, in which the oblate axial ratio was calculated from the molecular surface area and volume obtained from simulations. The Coulomb term, E(C)/2, is half of the Coulomb energy in accord with linear response, which showed good agreement with our simulation results. In comparison with our previous results on free energy of hydration, the Coulomb interactions in pure drug systems are weaker, and the van der Waals interactions play a more important role.     

In silico prediction of drug solubility. 3. Free energy of solvation in pure amorphous matter

The solubility of drugs in water is investigated in a series of papers. In this work, we address the process of bringing a drug molecule from the vapor into a pure drug amorphous phase. This step enables us to actually calculate the solubility of amorphous drugs in water. In our general approach, we, on one hand, perform rigorous free energy simulations using a combination of the free energy perturbation and thermodynamic integration methods. On the other hand, we develop an approximate theory containing parameters that are easily accessible from conventional Monte Carlo simulations, thereby reducing the computation time significantly. In the theory for solvation, we assume that DeltaG* = DeltaGcav + ELJ + EC/2, where the free energy of cavity formation, DeltaGcav, in pure drug systems is obtained using a theory for hard-oblate spheroids, and ELJ and EC are the Lennard-Jones and Coulomb interaction energies between the chosen molecule and the others in the fluid. The theoretical predictions for the free energy of solvation in pure amorphous matter are in good agreement with free energy simulation data for 46 different drug molecules. These results together with our previous studies support our theoretical approach. By using our previous data for the free energy of hydration, we compute the total free energy change of bringing a molecule from the amorphous phase into water. We obtain good agreement between the theory and simulations. It should be noted that to obtain accurate results for the total process, high precision data are needed for the individual subprocesses. Finally, for eight different substances, we compare the experimental amorphous and crystalline solubility in water with the results obtained by the proposed theory with reasonable success.     

A new approach to angular momentum constraints in bimolecular reactions

The well-known analysis of angular momentum constraints for diatomic systems in terms of a bond potential containing a J-dependent centrifugal part is here extended to larger systems. The new procedure is based on the identification of the minimal kinetic energy associated with a given spatial configuration and J value. Alternatively, for a given total energy E and spatial configuration the maximum J value can be identified. Constant J_max curves have been obtained by a Monte Carlo sampling scheme for a model of the KNaCl system at several different total internal energies. Particular attention is given to the estimation of J-dependent reaction thresholds.     

Determination of trimethoprim metabolites including conjugates in urine using high-performance liquid chromatography with combined ultraviolet and electrochemical detection

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of trimethoprim metabolites in pig urine was developed. The metabolites-glucuronic acid and sulphuric acid conjugates of phenolic metabolites formed by demethylation of trimethoprim-were quantitated after treatment of urine with beta-glucuronidase (Escherichia coli). The sulphuric acid conjugate was not susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis and was therefore assayed as the conjugate by use of ion-pair chromatography on the reversed-phase column. In order to find suitable conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis of the glucuronides, the conjugates were obtained by gel chromatography of urine from a [14C] trimethoprim-treated pig.     

Generalized van der Waals Theory of Interfaces in Simple Fluid Mixtures

An efficient implementation of the generalized van der Waals theory of fluids is presented for the calculation of surface tension in simple fluid mixtures. While detailed correlation analysis is avoided the dominant binding energy contribution and the negative contribution due to the nonlocal entropy are accounted for in the free energy density functional by simple physical approximations of the type originally introduced by van der Waals. Efficient computation is achieved by the use of a single-parameter optimization of a tanh-shaped profile representing the total density as well as the composition variation across the interface. This simple profile nevertheless incorporates the expected adsorption to the interface of the volatile component. Application is made to argon/krypton mixtures represented by Lennard-Jones potentials and Lorentz-Berthelot combining rules. Surface tension predictions compare well with both experimental observations and computer simulation results which also indicated close agreement in particle density profiles, especially if the Berthelot rule is amended with a binary interaction parameter slightly (3%) less than unity. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Determination of the neuroprotective agent 6-nitro-7-sulphamoylbenzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione in plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography.

A rapid, sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the neuroprotectant 6-nitro-7-sulphamoylbenzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione in rat plasma has been established and validated. Samples of 0.5 ml of plasma are extracted by elution from a Bond-Elut column with methanol and analysed on a reversed-phase column. The wavelength of UV detection is 254 nm. The method is linear at least up to 30 micrograms/ml, with a lowest reliable determination level of 4 mg/ml. The assays has a coefficient of variation of 13% at 10 ng/ml and 4% at 1000 ng/ml. Small variations in the extraction procedure and the liquid chromatographic conditions have minimal or no influence on the assay.