Structure and dynamics of the CrIII ion in aqueous solution: Ab initio QM/MM molecular dynamics simulation

Structural and dynamical properties of the Cr(III) ion in aqueous solution have been investigated using a combined ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics simulation. The hydration structure of Cr(III) was determined in terms of radial distribution functions, coordination numbers, and angular distributions. The QM/MM simulation gives coordination numbers of 6 and 15.4 for the first and second hydration shell, respectively. The first hydration shell is kinetically very inert but by no means rigid and variations of the first hydration shell geometry lead to distinct splitting in the vibrational spectra of Cr(H(2)O)(6) (3+). A mean residence time of 22 ps was obtained for water ligands residing in the second hydration shell, which is remarkably shorter than the experimentally estimated value. The hydration energy of -1108 +/- 7 kcal/mol, obtained from the QM/MM simulation, corresponds well to the experimental hydration enthalpy value.     

Influence of end-capped group on structural and electronic properties of the At-π-Ac-π-At small molecule donor for high-performance organic solar cells

Structural Chemistry - To achieve high efficient donors for organic solar cells, structural, electronic, and optical properties of the At-π-Ac-π-At small molecules were systematically...     

Ab initio quantum mechanical charge field (QMCF) molecular dynamics: a QM/MM – MD procedure for accurate simulations of ions and complexes

A new formalism for quantum mechanical / molecular mechanical (QM/MM) dynamics of chemical species in solution has been developed, which does not require the construction of any other potential functions except those for solvent–solvent interactions, maintains all the advantages of large simulation boxes and ensures the accuracy of ab initio quantum mechanics for all forces acting in the chemically most relevant region. Interactions between solute and more distant solvent molecules are incorporated by a dynamically adjusted force field corresponding to the actual molecular configuration of the simulated system and charges derived from the electron distribution in the solvate. The new formalism has been tested with some examples of hydrated ions, for which accurate conventional ab initio QM/MM simulations have been previously performed, and the comparison shows equivalence and in some aspects superiority of the new method. As this simulation procedure does not require any tedious construction of two-and three-body interaction potentials inherent to conventional QM/MM approaches, it opens the straightforward access to ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of any kind of solutes, such as metal complexes and other composite species in solution.     

Tl(I)‐the strongest structure‐breaking metal ion in water? A quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical simulation study

Structural and dynamical properties of the Tl(I) ion in dilute aqueous solution have been investigated by ab initio quantum mechanics in combination with molecular mechanics. The first shell plus a part of the second shell were treated by quantum mechanics at Hartree-Fock level, the rest of the system was described by an ab initio constructed potential. The radial distribution functions indicate two different bond lengths (2.79 and 3.16 A) in the first hydration shell, in good agreement with large-angle X-ray scattering and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy results. The average first shell coordination number was found as 5.9, and several other structural parameters such as coordination number distributions, angular distribution functions, and tilt- and theta-angle distributions were evaluated. The ion-ligand vibration spectrum and reorientational times were obtained via velocity auto correlation functions. The Tl-O stretching force constant is very weak with 5.0 N m(-1). During the simulation, numerous water exchange processes took place between first and second hydration shell and between second shell and bulk. The mean ligand residence times for the first and second shell were determined as 1.3 and 1.5 ps, respectively, indicating Tl(I) to be a typical "structure-breaker". The calculated hydration energy of -84 +/- 16 kcal mol(-1) agrees well with the experimental value of -81 kcal mol(-1). All data obtained for structure and dynamics of hydrated Tl(I) characterize this ion as a very special case among all monovalent metal ions, being the most potent "structure-breaker", but at the same time forming a distinct second hydration shell and thus having a far-reaching influence on the solvent structure.     

Structure and dynamics of sulfate ion in aqueous solution--an ab initio QMCF MD simulation and large angle X-ray scattering study

The hydrated sulfate ion has been characterized in aqueous solution in structural and dynamic aspects using ab initio quantum mechanical charge field (QMCF) molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and large angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) methods. The LAXS data show an average coordination number of the sulfate ion of up to 12 water molecules bound through hydrogen bonding, while the QMCF MD simulation displays a wide range of coordination numbers between 8 and 14 with an average value of approximately 11. The Os...Ow distance cannot be distinguished from the Ow...Ow distance in the LAXS experiment; the weighted mean O...O distance is 2.880(10) A. In the simulation, the Os...Ow and Ow...Ow distances are found to be very similar, namely, 2.86 and 2.84 A, respectively. The S-Os bond and S...Ow distance have been determined by the LAXS experiment as 1.495(6) and 3.61(2) A, respectively, indicating an average nearly tetrahedral S-Os...Ow angle. The approximately 5% deviations of simulation distances (1.47 and 3.82 A) from the experimental ones can probably be ascribed to the neglect of correlation energy in the quantum mechanical method. The mean residence time of water ligands at O atoms, 2.57 ps, is longer than that in pure water, 1.7 ps, characterizing the sulfate ion as a weak structure maker.     

Structural and dynamical properties of hydrogen fluoride in aqueous solution: an ab initio quantum mechanical charge field molecular dynamics simulation

The novel ab initio quantum mechanical charge field (QMCF) molecular dynamics simulation at the Hartree-Fock level has been employed to investigate hydration structure and dynamics of hydrogen fluoride in aqueous solution. The average H-F bond length of 0.93 A obtained from the QMCF MD simulation is in good agreement with the experimental data. The HHF...Ow distance of 1.62 A was evaluated for the first hydration shell, and 2.00 A was observed for the FHF...Hw distance. The stability of hydrogen bonding is more pronounced in the hydrogen site of hydrogen fluoride, with a single water molecule in this part of the first hydration shell. A wide range of coordination numbers between 3 and 9 with an average value of 5.6 was obtained for the fluorine site. The force constants of 819.1 and 5.9 N/m were obtained for the HHF-FHF and HHF...Ow interactions, respectively, proving the stability of the nondissociated form of hydrogen fluoride in aqueous solution. The mean residence times of 2.1 and 2.5 ps were determined for ligand exchange processes in the neighborhood of fluorine and hydrogen atoms of hydrogen fluoride, respectively, indicating a weak structure-making effect of hydrogen fluoride in water. The corresponding H-bond lifetimes attribute this effect to the H atom site of HF.     

Ab Initio quantum mechanical charge field study of hydrated bicarbonate ion: Structural and dynamical properties

The ab initio quantum mechanical charge field molecular dynamics (QMCF MD) formalism was applied to simulate the bicarbonate ion, HCO₃^?, in aqueous solution. The difference in coordination numbers obtained by summation over atoms (6.6) and for the solvent‐accessible surface (5.4) indicates the sharing of some water molecules between the individual atomic hydration shells. It also proved the importance to consider the hydration of the chemically different atoms individually for the evaluation of structural and dynamical properties of the ion. The orientation of water molecules in the hydration shell was visualized by the θ–tilt surface plot. The mean residence time in the surroundings of the HCO₃^? ion classify it generally as a structure‐breaking ion, but the analysis of the individual ion‐water hydrogen bonds revealed a more complex behavior of the different coordination sites. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010