Herbert C. Georg

Thermodynamic stability of hydrogen-bonded systems in polar and nonpolar environments.

The thermodynamic properties of a selected set of benchmark hydrogen‐bonded systems (acetic acid dimer and the complexes of acetic acid with acetamide and methanol) was studied with the goal of obtaining detailed information on solvent effects on the hydrogen‐bonded interactions using water, chloroform, and n‐heptane as representatives for a wide range in the dielectric constant. Solvent effects were investigated using both explicit and implicit solvation models. For the explicit description of the solvent, molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations in the isothermal–isobaric (NpT) ensemble combined with the free energy perturbation technique were performed to determine solvation free energies. Within the implicit solvation approach, the polarizable continuum model and the conductor‐like screening model were applied. Combination of gas phase results with the results obtained from the different solvation models through an appropriate thermodynamic cycle allows estimation of complexation free energies, enthalpies, and the respective entropic contributions in solution. Owing to the strong solvation effects of water the cyclic acetic acid dimer is not stable in aqueous solution. In less polar solvents the double hydrogen bond structure of the acetic acid dimer remains stable. This finding is in agreement with previous theoretical and experimental results. A similar trend as for the acetic acid dimer is also observed for the acetamide complex. The methanol complex was found to be thermodynamically unstable in gas phase as well as in any of the three solvents.

Polarization and Spectral Shift of Benzophenone in Supercritical Water

Monte Carlo simulation and quantum mechanics calculations based on the INDO/CIS and TD-DFT methods were utilized to study the solvatochromic shift of benzophenone when changing the environment from normal water to supercritical (P = 340.2 atm and T = 673 K) condition. Solute polarization increases the dipole moment of benzophenone, compared to gas phase, by 88 and 35% in normal and supercritical conditions, giving the in-solvent dipole value of 5.8 and 4.2 D, respectively. The average number of solute-solvent hydrogen bonds was analyzed, and a large decrease of 2.3 in normal water to only 0.8 in the supercritical environment was found. By using these polarized models of benzophenone in the two different conditions of water, we performed MC simulations to generate statistically uncorrelated configurations of the solute surrounded by the solvent molecules and subsequent quantum mechanics calculations on these configurations. When changing from normal to supercritical water environment, INDO/CIS calculations explicitly considering all valence electrons of the 235 solvent water molecules resulted in a solvatochromic shift of 1425 cm(-1) for the most intense pi-pi* transition of benzophenone, that is, slightly underestimated in comparison with the experimentally inferred result of 1700 cm(-1). TD-B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) calculations on the same configurations but with benzophenone electrostatically embedded in the 320 water molecules resulted in a solvatochromic shift of 1715 cm(-1) for this transition, in very good agreement with the experimental result. When using the unpolarized model of the benzophenone, this calculated solvatochromic shift was only 640 cm(-1). Additional calculations were also made by using BHandHLYP/6-311+G(2d,p) to analyze the effect of the asymptotic decay of the exchange functional. This study indicates that, contrary to the general expectation, there is a sizable solute polarization even in the low-density regime of supercritical condition and that the inclusion of this polarization is important for a reliable description of the spectral shifts considered here.

A theoretical investigation of electric properties of L-arginine phosphate monohydrate including environment polarization effects

The dipole moment (μ), linear polarizability (α), and first hyperpolarizability (β(tot)) of the asymmetric unit of L-arginine phosphate (LAP) monohydrate crystal are investigated using the supermolecule approach in combination with an iterative electrostatic polarization scheme. Environment polarization effects are attained by assuring the convergence of the dipole moment of LAP embedded in the polarization field of the surrounding molecules whose atomic sites are treated as point charges. The results obtained show that in the presence of the embedding charges, the value of μ is increased by 9% but the static values of α and β(tot) are decreased, respectively, by 3% and 13%, as compared with the isolated situation. The MP2/6-311+G(d) model predicts for the in-crystal dipole moment the converged value of 33 D, in good concordance with the available experimental result of 32 D. Our estimates for the converged results of α and β(tot) are, respectively, 22.51×10(-24) and 5.01×10(-30) esu. Dispersion effects are found to have a small impact on the nonlinear optical responses of LAP in the visible region. In addition, MP2/6-311G results obtained for β(tot) by using isolated and embedded LAP dimers show that crystal packing effects have a significant contribution of the electrostatic interactions. Our results suggest that the role of the crystal environment is to minimize the effects of the intermolecular interactions in the electric properties. That is, μ and β(tot) gain a more additive character in the presence of the field of the embedding charges. This is specially marked for β(tot).

NMR Chemical Shielding and Spin-Spin Coupling Constants of Liquid NH3: A Systematic Investigation using the Sequential QM/MM Method

The NMR spin coupling parameters, (1)J(N,H) and (2)J(H,H), and the chemical shielding, sigma((15)N), of liquid ammonia are studied from a combined and sequential QM/MM methodology. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to generate statistically uncorrelated configurations that are submitted to density functional theory calculations. Two different Lennard-Jones potentials are used in the liquid simulations. Electronic polarization is included in these two potentials via an iterative procedure with and without geometry relaxation, and the influence on the calculated properties are analyzed. B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ-J calculations were used to compute the (1)J(N,H) constants in the interval of -67.8 to -63.9 Hz, depending on the theoretical model used. These can be compared with the experimental results of -61.6 Hz. For the (2)J(H,H) coupling the theoretical results vary between -10.6 to -13.01 Hz. The indirect experimental result derived from partially deuterated liquid is -11.1 Hz. Inclusion of explicit hydrogen bonded molecules gives a small but important contribution. The vapor-to-liquid shifts are also considered. This shift is calculated to be negligible for (1)J(N,H) in agreement with experiment. This is rationalized as a cancellation of the geometry relaxation and pure solvent effects. For the chemical shielding, sigma((15)N) calculations at the B3LYP/aug-pcS-3 show that the vapor-to-liquid chemical shift requires the explicit use of solvent molecules. Considering only one ammonia molecule in an electrostatic embedding gives a wrong sign for the chemical shift that is corrected only with the use of explicit additional molecules. The best result calculated for the vapor to liquid chemical shift Delta sigma((15)N) is -25.2 ppm, in good agreement with the experimental value of -22.6 ppm.

Electronic Properties of Water in Liquid Environment. A Sequential QM/MM Study Using the Free Energy Gradient Method

There is a continuous search for theoretical methods that are able to describe the effects of the liquid environment on molecular systems. Different methods emphasize different aspects, and the treatment of both the local and bulk properties is still a great challenge. In this work, the electronic properties of a water molecule in liquid environment is studied by performing a relaxation of the geometry and electronic distribution using the free energy gradient method. This is made using a series of steps in each of which we run a purely molecular mechanical (MM) Monte Carlo Metropolis simulation of liquid water and subsequently perform a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculation of the ensemble averages of the charge distribution, atomic forces, and second derivatives. The MP2/aug-cc-pV5Z level is used to describe the electronic properties of the QM water. B3LYP with specially designed basis functions are used for the magnetic properties. Very good agreement is found for the local properties of water, such as geometry, vibrational frequencies, dipole moment, dipole polarizability, chemical shift, and spin-spin coupling constants. The very good performance of the free energy method combined with a QM/MM approach along with the possible limitations are briefly discussed.

Polarization effects on the electric properties of urea and thiourea molecules in solid phase

We present theoretical results for the dipole moment, linear polarizability, and first hyperpolarizability of the urea and thiourea molecules in solid phase. The in-crystal electric properties were determined by applying a supermolecule approach in combination with an iterative electrostatic scheme, in which the surrounding molecules are represented by point charges. It is found for both urea and thiourea molecules that the influence of the polarization effects is mild for the linear polarizability, but it is marked for the dipole moment and first hyperpolarizability. The replacement of oxygen atoms by sulfur atoms increases, in general, the electric responses. Our second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory based iterative scheme predicts for the in-crystal dipole moment of urea and thiourea the values of 7.54 and 9.19 D which are, respectively, increased by 61% and 58%, in comparison with the corresponding isolated values. The result for urea is in agreement with the available experimental result of 6.56 D. In addition, we present an estimate of macroscopic quantities considering explicit unit cells of urea and thiourea crystals including environment polarization effects. These supermolecule calculations take into account partially the exchange and dispersion effects. The results illustrate the role played by the electrostatic interactions on the static second-order nonlinear susceptibility of the urea crystal.

Monte Carlo–Quantum Mechanics Study of Magnetic Properties of Hydrogen Peroxide in Liquid Water

A theoretical study of magnetic properties of hydrogen peroxide in water has been carried out by means of Monte Carlo simulation and quantum mechanics calculations. The solvent effects were evaluated in supermolecular structures generated by simulations in the NPT ensemble. The solute-solvent structure was analyzed in terms of radial distribution functions, and the solute-solvent hydrogen bonds were identified with geometric and energetic criteria. Approximately three water molecules are hydrogen bonded to H2O2 (0.6 and 0.8 in each hydrogen and oxygen atom, respectively, of the H2O2). Although, on average, both hydroxyls of the peroxide are equivalent, the distribution of hydrogen-bonded water molecules is highly asymmetric. Analyzing the statistics of the hydrogen bonds, we identify that only 34% of the configurations give symmetric distributions around the two hydroxyls of the H2O2 simultaneously. The magnetic shieldings and the indirect spin-spin coupling constants were calculated at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ and aug-cc-pVTZ-J computational level. We find that the solvent shields the oxygen and unshields the hydrogen atoms of the peroxide (+5.5 and -2.9 ppm, respectively), with large fluctuation from configuration to configuration in the oxygen case, an effect largely accounted for in terms of a single hydrogen bond with H2O2 as the proton donor. The most sensitive coupling in the presence of the solvent is observed to be the one-bond J(O,H).

Elucidating the structure of merocyanine dyes with the ASEC-FEG method. Phenol blue in solution

The electronic structure of phenol blue (PB) was investigated in several protic and aprotic solvents, in a wide range of dielectric constants, using atomistic simulations. We employed the sequential QM/MM and the free energy gradient methods to optimize the geometry of PB in each solvent at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. The ASEC mean field is used to include the ensemble average of the solute-solvent interaction into the molecular hamiltonian, both for the geometry optimization and for the calculations of the electronic properties. We found that the geometry of PB changes considerably, from a polyene-like structure in nonpolar solvents to a cyanine-like in water. Moreover, and quite interestingly, in protic solvents with higher dielectric constant than water, the structure of the molecule is less affected and lies in an intermediate state. The results illustrate the important role played by hydrogen bonds in the conformation of merocyanine dyes.

Zwitterionization of glycine in water environment: Stabilization mechanism and NMR spectral signatures

At physiological conditions, myriads of biomolecules (e.g., amino acids, peptides, and proteins) exist predominantly in the zwitterionic structural form and their biological functions will result in these conditions. However these geometrical structures are inaccessible energetically in the gas phase, and at this point, stabilization of amino-acids in physiological conditions is still under debate. In this paper, the electronic properties of a glycine molecule in the liquid environment were studied by performing a relaxation of the glycine geometry in liquid water using the free energy gradient method combined with a sequential quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics approach. A series of Monte Carlo Metropolis simulations of the glycine molecule embedded in liquid water, followed by only a quantum mechanical calculation in each of them were carried out. Both the local and global liquid environments were emphasized to obtain nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters for the glycine molecule in liquid water. The results of the equilibrium structure in solution and the systematic study of the hydrogen bonds were used to discard the direct proton transfer from the carboxyl group to the ammonium group of the glycine molecule in water solution. The calculations of the Density Functional Theory (DFT) were performed to study the polarization of the solvent in the parameters of nuclear magnetic resonance of the glycine molecule in liquid water. DFT calculations predicted isotropic chemical changes on the H, C, N, and O atoms of glycine in liquid water solution which agree with the available experimental data.

Confirming the relationship between first hyperpolarizability and the bond length alternation coordinate for merocyanine dyes

We investigated the first electronic hyperpolarizability of a typical merocyanine dye in several solvents in a wide range of dielectric constants. The equilibrium geometry of the molecule was obtained in each solvent by employing an optimization technique allied to atomistic simulations. The results confirm, for the first time with a realistic model of the molecular environment, the relationship between the first electronic hyperpolarizability (β) and the bond length alternation (BLA) coordinate, with a maximum value of β for intermediate positive BLA and a vanishing β when the BLA goes to zero.