Ab initio copper–water interaction potential for the simulation of aqueous solutions

A new ab initio effective two-body potential that aims at mimicking the average copper–water interaction energy of the first solvation shell was developed. This new potential, together with the MCY water–water potential and a three-body ion–water–water induction potential, is tested in simulations of gas-phase clusters Cu²⁺? (H₂O)₂₀] and diluted solutions Cu²⁺? (H₂O)₂₀₀] at T = 298 K. The results of simulations with conventional ab initio pair potentials, with and without three-body induction corrections, are also presented. The different types of copper–water interaction potentials are evaluated comparatively and the efficiency of the newly proposed effective pair potential is discussed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.