Hydrodynamic tensor density functional theory with correct susceptibility

In a previous work the authors developed a family of orbital-free tensor equations for the density functional theory [J. Chem. Phys. 124, 024105 (2006)]. The theory is a combination of the coupled hydrodynamic moment equation hierarchy with a cumulant truncation of the one-body electron density matrix. A basic ingredient in the theory is how to truncate the series of equation of motion for the moments. In the original work the authors assumed that the cumulants vanish above a certain order (N). Here the authors show how to modify this assumption to obtain the correct susceptibilities. This is done for N=3, a level above the previous study. At the desired truncation level a few relevant terms are added, which, with the right combination of coefficients, lead to excellent agreement with the Kohn-Sham Lindhard susceptibilities for an uninteracting system. The approach is also powerful away from linear response, as demonstrated in a nonperturbative study of a jellium with a repulsive core, where excellent matching with Kohn-Sham simulations is obtained, while the Thomas-Fermi and von Weiszacker methods show significant deviations. In addition, time-dependent linear response studies at the new N=3 level demonstrate the author's previous assertion that as the order of the theory is increased new additional transverse sound modes appear mimicking the random phase approximation transverse dispersion region.     

Correlation potentials for a multiconfigurational-based density functional theory with exact exchange

A density functional theory based on a complete active space self consistent field (CASSCF) reference function with exact exchange is discussed. It is first shown that such a theory may be formulated with a correlation potential dependent on the density function and on the active space used. Auxiliary functions, such as the on-top two-particle density, are used to define uniquely the potential for different active spaces. The paper also analyses the correlation functional for some atomic and molecular cases. Large ab initio calculations are performed to obtain accurate density functions. A correlation potential is then fitted such that the reference CASSCF function gives the same density. The correlation potential values are saved in a data base for future analysis.     

Correlation functional in screened‐exchange density functional theory procedures

In the present study, we have explored several prospects for the further development of screened‐exchange density functional theory (SX‐DFT) procedures. Using the performance of HSE06 as our measure, we find that the use of alternative correlation functionals (as oppose to PBEc in HSE06) also yields adequate results for a diverse set of thermochemical properties. We have further examined the performance of new SX‐DFT procedures (termed HSEB‐type methods) that comprise the HSEx exchange and a (near‐optimal) reparametrized B97c (c _OS,0 = c _SS,0 = 1, c _OS,1 = −1.5, c _OS,2 = −0.644, c _SS,1 = −0.5, and c _SS,2 = 1.10) correlation functionals. The different variants of HSEB all perform comparably to or slightly better than the original HSE‐type procedures. These results, together with our fundamental analysis of correlation functionals, point toward various directions for advancing SX‐DFT methods. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Magnetic exchange couplings from constrained density functional theory: an efficient approach utilizing analytic derivatives

We introduce a method for evaluating magnetic exchange couplings based on the constrained density functional theory (C-DFT) approach of Rudra, Wu, and Van Voorhis [J. Chem. Phys. 124, 024103 (2006)]. Our method shares the same physical principles as C-DFT but makes use of the fact that the electronic energy changes quadratically and bilinearly with respect to the constraints in the range of interest. This allows us to use coupled perturbed Kohn-Sham spin density functional theory to determine approximately the corrections to the energy of the different spin configurations and construct a priori the relevant energy-landscapes obtained by constrained spin density functional theory. We assess this methodology in a set of binuclear transition-metal complexes and show that it reproduces very closely the results of C-DFT. This demonstrates a proof-of-concept for this method as a potential tool for studying a number of other molecular phenomena. Additionally, routes to improving upon the limitations of this method are discussed.     

Coulometric titrations with an ion exchange separation step

Summary The coupling is described of coulometric separation methods with an ion exchange separation step. Various methods of enrichment and separation are described using the analysis of nitrogen compounds, such as ammonia, urea and nitrite, as examples. A microcomputer controls the separation step and regulates the coulometric determination. Quantitative separations are achieved in all cases, so that the advantage of coulometric titration, as a precise absolute determination method, is retained.     

Design of functional ferritin-like proteins with hydrophobic cavities

Ferritin four-helix bundle subunits self-assemble to create a stable multimer with a large central hydrophilic cavity where metal ions bind. To explore the versatility of this reaction vessel, computational design was used to generate cavities with increasingly apolar surface areas inside a dodecameric ferritin-like protein, Dps. Cavity mutants, in which as many as 120 surface accessible hydrophilic residues were replaced with hydrophobic amino acids, were shown to still assemble properly using size-exclusion chromatography and dynamic light scattering measurements. Wild-type Dps exhibited highly cooperative subunit folding and assembly, which was monitored by changes in Trp fluorescence and UV circular dichroism. The hydrophobic cavity mutants showed distinctly less cooperative unfolding behavior, with one mutant forming a partially assembled intermediate upon guanidine denaturation. Although the stability of Dps to such denaturation decreased with increasing apolar surface area, all proteins exhibited high melting temperatures, T(m) = 74-90 degrees C. Despite the large number of mutations, near-native ability to mineralize iron was maintained. This work illustrates the versatility of the ferritin scaffold for engineering large protein cavities with novel properties.     

Ionization potentials of atoms calculated with a nonlocal exchange and a local correlation functional

We calculate the first ionization potential of atoms (3 ? Z ? 54) by means of a nonlocal density functional approach and the results are compared with those obtained using other recent density functional approaches based on density gradients. In these calculations, we use a nonlocal weighted spin-density approximation of exchange effects and a local spin-density approximation of Coulomb correlation, both based on novel forms of the pair-correlation functions. We also calculate the total energies of the He, Be, and Ne isoelectronic series. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Sieving effect in electrodialysis with an ion exchange membrane

Electrodialysis of mixtures of inorganic and organic ions was studied. A sieving effect was observed and clarified by measuring the size of each ion and the pore size of each membrane. Furthermore, a large difference in selective permeability between inorganic and organic ions was shown to exist.     

Nonenzymatic glucose fuel cells with an anion exchange membrane as an electrolyte

Nonenzymatic glucose fuel cells were prepared by using a polymer electrolyte membrane and Pt-based metal catalysts. A fuel cell with a cation exchange membrane (CEM), which is often used for conventional polymer electrolyte fuel cells, shows an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 0.86 V and a maximum power density (P_max) of 1.5 mW cm^?2 with 0.5 M d-glucose and humidified O₂ at room temperature. The performance significantly increased to show an OCV of 0.97 V and P_max of 20 mW cm^?2 with 0.5 M d-glucose in 0.5 M KOH solution when the electrolyte membrane was changed from a CEM to an anion exchange membrane (AEM). This is due to the superior catalytic activity for both glucose oxidation and oxygen reduction in alkaline medium than in acidic medium. The anodic reaction of the fuel cell can be estimated to be the oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid via a two-electron process under these experimental conditions. The crossover of glucose through an electrolyte membrane was negligibly small compared with methanol and may not represent a serious technical problem due to the cross-reaction.     

Reparameterization of a meta-generalized gradient approximation functional by combining TPSS exchange with τ1 correlation

We present a new local meta-GGA exchange-correlation density functional by combining the TPSS meta-GGA exchange and the τ1 meta-GGA correlation functionals. The TPSS meta-GGA exchange-correlation and the τ1 meta-GGA correlation functionals have been implemented in the deMon code. The parameters in the τ1 meta-GGA correlation model are reoptimized in a synchronized way to match the original TPSS meta-GGA exchange counterpart. This reparametrized meta-GGA functional is referred to as “TPSSτ3”. The TPSSτ3 and TPSSτ1 meta-GGAs are validated using a test set that consists of covalent molecules, hydrogen-bonded complexes, and van der Waals interactions. The calculated results from TPSSτ1 and TPSSτ3 are analyzed and compared with reliable experimental data and theoretical data, as well as with those from Bmτ1 and TPSS calculations. The τ1 correlation model describes the aromatic compounds better than TPSS. TPSSτ3 yields satisfactory results for the covalent molecules, the hydrogen-bonded complexes, and the van der Waals complexes in the test set compared with TPSS, Bmτ1 and TPSSτ1. Contribution to the Serafin Fraga Memorial Issue.     

Substituted dialkylaminomethylphenols in an exchange reaction with carboxylic acid anhydrides

Carboxylic acid benzyl esters are formed in the reaction of carboxylic acid anhydrides with N,N-dialkyl-4(2)-hydroxy-substituted benzylamines. 4-Hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylbenzyl acetate exchanges an acetyl fragment for an alkoxyl fragment and benzylates phenol derivatives in the presence of an acid.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2765–2770, December, 1989.     

T-for-H exchange reaction between HTO vapor and two functional groups in an aromatic compound in a gas-solid system

The hydrogen-isotope exchange reaction (T-for-H exchange reaction) between HTO vapor and an aromatic compound having two different kinds of functional groups has been observed at several temperatures. The rate constant (k) for each functional group in the T-for-H exchange reaction was obtained by using both theA″-McKay plot method and the data observed. Comparing thesek with each other has led to the following four conclusions in the T-for-H exchange reaction. (1) The reactivity of both the COOH and OH groups increases with a rise in temperature. (2) As to the degree of the effect of the COOH group on the reactivity of monosubstituted phenols, the degree inp-hydroxybenzoic acid is greater than that inm-hydroxybenzoic acid. (3) The HAMMETT rule is useful for estimating the reactivity of a certain aromatic compound. (4) TheA″-McKay plot method is also useful not only investigating the reactivity of the compounds having one kind of functional group, but also doing the reactivity of the compounds having two different kinds of functional groups.