Moyocoyani Molina-Espíritu

Insight into the informational-structure behavior of the Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and maleic anhydride

The course of the Diels-Alder reactions of cyclopentadiene and maleic anhydride were studied. Two reaction paths were modelled: endo- and exo-selective paths. All structures within the transient region were characterized and analyzed by means of geometrical descriptors, physicochemical parameters and information-theoretical measures in order to observe the linkage between chemical behavior and the carriage of information. We have shown that the information-theoretical characterization of the chemical course of the reaction is in complete agreement with its phenomenological behavior in passing from reactants to products. In addition, we were able to detect the main differences between the two reaction mechanisms. This type of informational analysis serves to provide tools to help understand the chemical reactivity of the two simplest Diels-Alder reactions, which permits the establishment of a connection between the quantum changes that molecular systems exert along reaction coordinates and standard physicochemical phenomenology. In the present study, we have shown that every reaction stage has a family of subsequent structures that are characterized not solely by their phenomenological behavior but also by informational properties of their electronic density distribution (localizability, order, uniformity). Moreover, we were able to describe the main differences between endo-adduct and exo-adduct pathways. With the advent of new experimental techniques, it is in principle possible to observe the structural changes in the transient regions of chemical reactions. Indeed, through this work we have provided the theoretical concepts needed to unveil the concurrent processes associated with chemical reactions.

Fisher Information and Steric Effect: Study of the Internal Rotation Barrier of Ethane

On the basis of a density-based quantification of the steric effect [Liu, S. B. J. Chem. Phys.2007, 126, 244103], the origin of the internal rotation barrier between the eclipsed and staggered conformers of ethane is systematically investigated in this work from an information-theoretical point of view by using the Fisher information measure in conjugated spaces. Two kinds of computational approaches are considered in this work: adiabatic (with optimal structure) and vertical (with fixed geometry). The analyses are performed systematically by following, in each case, the conformeric path by changing the dihedral angle from 0 to 180° . This is calculated at the HF, MP2, B3LYP, and CCSD(T) levels of theory and with several basis sets. Selected descriptors of the densities are utilized to support the observations. Our results show that in the adiabatic case the eclipsed conformer possesses a larger steric repulsion than the staggered conformer, but in the vertical cases the staggered conformer retains a larger steric repulsion. Our results verify the plausibility for defining and computing the steric effect in the post-Hartree-Fock level of theory according to the scheme proposed by Liu.

Quantum entanglement and the dissociation process of diatomic molecules

In this work, we investigate quantum entanglement-related aspects of the dissociation process of some selected, representative homo- and heteronuclear diatomic molecules. This study is based upon high-quality ab initio calculations of the (correlated) molecular wavefunctions involved in the dissociation processes. The values of the electronic entanglement characterizing the system in the limit cases corresponding to (i) the united-atom representation and (ii) the asymptotic region when atoms dissociate are discussed in detail. It is also shown that the behaviour of the electronic entanglement as a function of the reaction coordinate R exhibits remarkable correspondences with the phenomenological description of the physically meaningful regimes comprising the processes under study. In particular, the extrema of the total energies and the electronic entanglement are shown to be associated with the main physical changes experienced by the molecular spatial electronic density, such as charge depletion and accumulation or bond cleavage regions. These structural changes are characterized by several selected descriptors of the density, such as the Laplacian of the electronic molecular distributions (LAP), the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and the atomic electric potentials fitted to the MEP.

Information-theoretical complexity for the hydrogenic abstraction reaction

In this work, we have investigated the complexity of the hydrogenic abstraction reaction by means of information functionals such as disequilibrium (D), exponential entropy (L), Fisher information (I), power entropy (J) and joint information-theoretic measures, i.e. the I–D, D–L and I–J planes and the Fisher–Shannon and López–Mancini–Calbet (LMC) shape complexities. The analysis of the information-theoretical functionals of the one-particle density was computed in position (r) and momentum (p) space. The analysis revealed that all of the chemically significant regions can be identified from the information functionals and most of the information-theoretical planes, i.e. the reactant/product regions (R/P), the transition state (TS), including those that are not present in the energy profile such as the bond cleavage energy region (BCER), and the bond breaking/forming regions (B–B/F). The analysis of the complexities shows that, in position as well as in the joint space, the energy profile of the abstraction reaction bears the same information-theoretical features as the LMC and FS measures. We discuss why most of the chemical features of interest, namely the BCER and B–B/F, are lost in the energy profile and that they are only revealed when particular information-theoretical aspects of localizability (L or J), uniformity (D) and disorder (I) are considered.

Information-theoretical complexity for the hydrogenic identity SN2 exchange reaction

We investigate the complexity of the hydrogenic identity SN2 exchange reaction by means of information-theoretic functionals such as disequilibrium (D), exponential entropy (L), Fisher information (I), power entropy (J) and joint information-theoretic measures, i.e., the I–D, D–L and I–J planes and the Fisher–Shannon (FS) and López-Mancini-Calbet (LMC) shape complexities. The several information-theoretic measures of the one-particle density were computed in position (r) and momentum (p) spaces. The analysis revealed that the chemically significant regions of this reaction can be identified through most of the information-theoretic functionals or planes, not only the ones which are commonly revealed by the energy, such as the reactant/product (R/P) and the transition state (TS), but also those that are not present in the energy profile such as the bond cleavage energy region (BCER), the bond breaking/forming regions (B–B/F) and the charge transfer process (CT). The analysis of the complexities shows that the energy profile of the identity SN2 exchange reaction bears no simple behavior with respect to the LMC and FS measures. Most of the chemical features of interest (BCER, B–B/F and CT) are only revealed when particular information-theoretic aspects of localizability (L or J), uniformity (D) and disorder (I) are considered.

Concurrent Phenomena at the Reaction Path of the SN2 Reaction CH3Cl + F − . Information Planes and Statistical Complexity Analysis

An information-theoretical complexity analysis of the SN2 exchange reaction for CH3Cl + F− is performed in both position and momentum spaces by means of the following composite functionals of the one-particle density: D-L and I-J planes and Fisher-Shannon’s (FS) and Lopez-Ruiz-Mancini-Calbet (LMC) shape complexities. It was found that all the chemical concepts traditionally assigned to elementary reactions such as the breaking/forming regions (B-B/F), the charge transfer/reorganization and the charge repulsion can be unraveled from the phenomenological analysis performed in this study through aspects of localizability, uniformity and disorder associated with the information-theoretical functionals. In contrast, no energy-based functionals can reveal the above mentioned chemical concepts. In addition, it is found that the TS critical point for this reaction does not show any chemical meaning (other than the barrier height) as compared with the concurrent processes revealed by the information-theoretical analysis. Instead, it is apparent from this study that a maximum delocalized state could be identified in the transition region which is associated to the charge transfer process as a new concurrent phenomenon associated with the charge transfer region (CT) for the ion-complex is identified. Finally it is discussed why most of the chemical features of interest (e.g., CT, B-B/F) are only revealed when some information-theoretic properties are taken into account, such as localizability, uniformity and disorder.

Predominant Information Quality Scheme for the Essential Amino Acids: An Information‐Theoretical Analysis

In this work we undertake a pioneer information-theoretical analysis of 18 selected amino acids extracted from a natural protein, bacteriorhodopsin (1C3W). The conformational structures of each amino acid are analyzed by use of various quantum chemistry methodologies at high levels of theory: HF, M062X and CISD(Full). The Shannon entropy, Fisher information and disequilibrium are determined to grasp the spatial spreading features of delocalizability, order and uniformity of the optimized structures. These three entropic measures uniquely characterize all amino acids through a predominant information-theoretic quality scheme (PIQS), which gathers all chemical families by means of three major spreading features: delocalization, narrowness and uniformity. This scheme recognizes four major chemical families: aliphatic (delocalized), aromatic (delocalized), electro-attractive (narrowed) and tiny (uniform). All chemical families recognized by the existing energy-based classifications are embraced by this entropic scheme. Finally, novel chemical patterns are shown in the information planes associated with the PIQS entropic measures.

Quantum Information-Theoretical Analyses of Systems and Processes of Chemical and Nanotechnological Interest

The application of information-theoretic concepts and techniques to the study of quantum multielectronic systems is presently attracting the attention of numerous researchers in several fields. This area of inquiry is shedding new light on the conceptual foundations of physics and is also at the core of the new field of Quantum Information Theory, which foresees important technological developments through concepts such as “entanglement”, “teleportation” and “quantum computation”. In line with these developments we present in this Chapter a review of the recent advances performed in our laboratories to study selected molecular processes and mesoscopic systems at the nanoscopic scale by employing information theory concepts to show significant advances of Information Theory applied to chemistry by use of Shannon entropies through the localized/delocalized features of the electron distributions allowing a phenomenological description of the course of elementary chemical reactions by revealing important chemical regions that are not present in the energy profile such as the ones in which bond forming and bond breaking occur. Further, the synchronous reaction mechanism of a SN2 type chemical reaction and the nonsynchronous mechanistic behavior of the simplest hydrogenic abstraction reaction were predicted by use of Shannon entropies analysis. These studies have shown that the information-theoretical measures provide evidence to support the concept of a continuum of transient of Zewail and Polanyi for the transition state rather than a single state, which is also in agreement with other analyses. Although information entropies have been employed in quantum chemistry, applications in large chemical systems are very scarce. For nanostructures, we have been able to show that IT measures can be successfully employed

Information-theoretic space from simple atomic and molecular systems to biological and pharmacological molecules

In this letter, we present an Information-Theoretic Space generated from the Shannon entropy, the Fisher information, and the disequilibrium measures along with their corresponding Fisher–Shannon and LMC complexity measures, which unveils the unique physical, chemical and biological aspects of a great diversity of many-electron systems, ranging from neutral and ionized atomic systems and simple molecules to much more complex systems such as amino acids and pharmacological molecular ensembles. This endeavour is achieved upon the physical ground that atoms and molecules can be described through the basic information-theoretic notions of delocalization, order, uniformity and complexity, thus revealing that a universal three-dimensional information-theoretic chemical space for all systems of Nature there might exist.

Decoding the Building Blocks of Life from the Perspective of Quantum Information

Physical theories often start out as theories which only embrace essential features of the macroscopic world, where their predictions depend on certain parameters that have to be either assumed or taken from experiments; as a result these parameters cannot be predicted by such theories. To understand why the parameters have the values they do, we have to go one level deeper—typically to smaller scales where the easiest processes to study are the ones at the lowest level. When the deeper level reduces the number of unknown parameters, we consider the theory to be complete and satisfactory. The level below conventional molecular biology is spanned by atomic and molecular structure and by quantum dynamics. However, it is also true that at the lowest level it becomes very difficult to grasp all the features of the molecular processes that occur in living systems such that the complexity of the numerous parameters that are involved make the endeavour a very intricate one. Information theory provides a powerful framework for extracting essential features of complicated processes of life, and then analyzing them in a systematic manner. In connection to the latter, quantum information biology is a new field of scientific inquiry in which information-theoretical tools and concepts are permitting to get insight into some of the most basic and yet unsolved questions of molecular biology.