Density Functional Theory Force Field Research Articles

Chemistry of the interaction between Imidazole derivatives as corrosion inhibitors molecules and copper/brass/zinc surfaces: A DFT, reactive and classical molecular force fields study

In the present research, we explored the corrosion inhibition mechanisms on metals and alloys by imidazole, methylimidazole, and benzimidazole applying density functional theory (DFT), reactive (ReaxFF), and classical force fields. Our investigation focused on the interaction of these molecules with different types of bare metal surfaces. The results of our studies have been compiled to compare the protection efficiency of the three organic molecules for copper, zinc, and copper-zinc alloys (Cu63%-Zn37%) exposed to the same corrosion conditions in an acid environment. The calculated interaction energy quantities are strongly correlated with the experimental corrosion inhibition efficiencies BIM > MIM > IM. The imidazole derivative studied, significantly better protect copper than zinc, which is attributed to the higher bond strength of Cu–N (formation of chemical bonds) than of Zn–N, confirms the increase in the protection effectiveness against corrosion of Zn < Cu63%-Zn37% < Cu. This present study demonstrates the enormous potential of ReaxFF calculations to accurately simulate the adsorption of inhibitor molecules onto metal surfaces at a fraction of the computational cost of DFT, as well as the performance of the umbrella sampling method to assess the adsorption free energies.

Novel Computational Chemistry Infrastructure for Simulating Astatide in Water: From Basis Sets to Force Fields Using Particle Swarm Optimization.

Using the example of astatine, the heaviest naturally occurring halogen whose isotope At-211 has promising medical applications, we propose a new infrastructure for large-scale computational models of heavy elements with strong relativistic effects. In particular, we focus on developing an accurate force field for At- in water based on reliable relativistic density functional theory (DFT) calculations. To ensure the reliability of such calculations, we design novel basis sets for relativistic DFT, via the particle swarm optimization algorithm to optimize the coefficients of the new basis sets and the polarization-consistent basis set idea's extension to heavy elements to eliminate the basis set error from DFT calculations. The resulting basis sets enable the well-grounded evaluation of relativistic DFT against "gold-standard" CCSD(T) results. Accounting for strong relativistic effects, including spin-orbit interaction, via our redesigned infrastructure, we elucidate a noticeable dissimilarity between At- and I- in halide-water force field parameters, radial distribution functions, diffusion coefficients, and hydration energies. This work establishes the framework for the systematic development of polarization-consistent basis sets for relativistic DFT and accurate force fields for molecular dynamics simulations to be used in large-scale models of complex molecular systems with elements from the bottom of the periodic table, including actinides and even superheavy elements.

Environmental-sulfur-controlled surface properties of pyrite: a first principles PBE + U study

The structure and stability of pyrite (100), (210), (110), and (111) surfaces in different sulfur conditions were studied in the framework of GGA(PBE) + U implementations of density functional calculations. The Hubbard U correction was found to be a critical parameter in density functional theory (DFT) calculations to describe pyrite surfaces. With the U correction, the surface energy order for stoichiometric pyrite surfaces is (100) < (210) < (110) < (111), which is different with previous knowledge from conventional DFT and classical force field calculations, but consistent with broken bonds number and shape distribution in natural and synthetic systems in different sulfur conditions. Within the considered surfaces, the stoichiometric (100)-S and non-stoichiometric (111)-3S are the most stable under both S-lean and S-rich conditions, respectively. For relative stable surfaces in different environment, (100)-Fe and (100)-2S reconstruct, but (111)-Fe and (111)-3S show no relaxations while (100)-S, (210)-Fe′, and (210)-2S′ show relaxations to certain degree. Electron transfer from surface Fe to S atom on pyrite during relaxation and reconstruction, forming exemplary surface configuration and chemical composition. These findings reveal the nature of pyrite surfaces in various sulfur conditions, proving fundamental not only for surface-related applications but also for geological indicators of pyrite formation conditions.

Machine Learning for Accurate Force Calculations in Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

The computationally expensive nature of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations severely limits its ability to simulate large system sizes and long time scales, both of which are necessary to imitate experimental conditions. In this work, we explore an approach to make use of the data obtained using the quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) on small systems and use deep learning to subsequently simulate large systems by taking liquid argon as a test case. A suitable vector representation was chosen to represent the surrounding environment of each Ar atom, and a Δ-NetFF machine learning model, where the neural network was trained to predict the difference in resultant forces obtained by DFT and classical force fields, was introduced. Molecular dynamics simulations were then performed using forces from the neural network for various system sizes and time scales depending on the properties we calculated. A comparison of properties obtained from the classical force field and the neural network model was presented alongside available experimental data to validate the proposed method.

Imidazole derivatives as corrosion inhibitors for copper: A DFT and reactive force field study

We have investigated the corrosion inhibition mechanisms of imidazole, adenine, purine and 6-benzylaminopurine for copper using density functional theory (DFT) and reactive force fields (ReaxFF). The computed quantum chemical descriptors and interaction energy magnitudes correlate well with the experimental corrosion inhibition efficiencies: BAP > Adenine > Purine > Imidazole. The optimized geometries indicate formation of strong chemical bonds between surface Cu-atoms and N-atoms of the adsorbed molecules. This work shows the tremendous potential of ReaxFF calculations in successfully modeling adsorption of inhibitor molecules on metal surfaces at much lower computational costs compared to DFT.

Benchmarking fully analytic DFT force fields for vibrational spectroscopy: A study on halogenated compounds

This work presents an investigation of the theoretical predictions yielded by anharmonic force fields having the cubic and quartic force constants are computed analytically by means of density functional theory (DFT) using the recursive scheme developed by M. Ringholm et al. (J. Comput. Chem. 35 (2014) 622). Different functionals (namely B3LYP, PBE, PBE0 and PW86x) and basis sets were used for calculating the anharmonic vibrational spectra of two halomethanes. The benchmark analysis carried out demonstrates the reliability and overall good performances offered by hybrid approaches, where the harmonic data obtained at the coupled cluster with single and double excitations level of theory augmented by a perturbational estimate of the effects of connected triple excitations, CCSD(T), are combined with the fully analytic higher order force constants yielded by DFT functionals. These methods lead to reliable and computationally affordable calculations of anharmonic vibrational spectra with an accuracy comparable to that yielded by hybrid force fields having the anharmonic force fields computed at second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) level of theory using numerical differentiation but without the corresponding potential issues related to computational costs and numerical errors.

Synthesis, crystal growth, thermal, electronic and vibrational spectral studies of 1-(4-Bromophenyl)-3-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one: A density functional theory study

A new chalcone derivative, 1-(4-Bromophenyl)-3-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (DMBC) was synthesized and single crystals were grown by slow evaporation technique. The FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra of the sample were recorded in the region 3500–50cm−1 and 4000–400cm−1 respectively. The spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis, following structure optimizations and force field calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Normal coordinate calculations were performed using the DFT force field corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors yielding fairly good agreement between the observed and calculated wavenumbers. DMBC is thermally stable up to 265.0°C and optically transparent in the visible region. The total electron density and molecular electrostatic potential surfaces of the molecules were constructed by Natural Bond Orbital analysis using B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) method to display electrostatic potential (electron+nuclei) distribution, molecular shape, size, and dipole moments of the molecule. The electronic properties, HOMO and LUMO energies were measured.

Vibrational spectra of 3,5-diamino-6-chloro-N-(diaminomethylene) pyrazine-2-carboxamide: Combined experimental and theoretical studies

In this work, the vibrational spectral analysis of 3,5-diamino-6-chloro-N-(diaminomethylene)pyrazine-2-carboxamide(3DCNDPC) was carried out using FT-Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy in the range 4000–50cm−1 and 4000–500cm−1 respectively. The experimental spectra were recorded in the solid phase. The fundamental vibrational frequencies and intensity of vibrational bands were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP with the standard basis set 6-311++G(d,p). The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) were compared with experimental values. Normal co-ordinate calculations were performed with the DFT force field corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors yielding fairly good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies. Simulation of infrared and Raman spectra utilizing the results of these calculations led to excellent overall agreement with the observed spectral patterns. The complete assignments were performed on the basis of the potential energy distribution (PED) of the vibrational modes, calculated with scaled quantum mechanics (SQM) method. The stability of the molecule arising from hyper conjugative interactions and the charge delocalization has been analyzed by using Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis. UV–Vis spectrum of the compound was recorded. The calculated HOMO and LUMO energies show that chemical activity of the molecule.

Molecular conformational analysis, vibrational spectra and normal coordinate analysis of trans-1,2-bis(3,5-dimethoxy phenyl)-ethene based on density functional theory calculations

The conformational behavior and structural stability of trans-1,2-bis(3,5-dimethoxy phenyl)-ethene (TDBE) were investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) method with the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) basis set combination. The vibrational wavenumbers of TDBE were computed at DFT level and complete vibrational assignments were made on the basis of normal coordinate analysis calculations (NCA). The DFT force field transformed to natural internal coordinates was corrected by a well-established set of scale factors that were found to be transferable to the title compound. The infrared and Raman spectra were also predicted from the calculated intensities. The observed Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Fourier transform (FT) Raman vibrational wavenumbers were analyzed and compared with the theoretically predicted vibrational spectra. Comparison of the simulated spectra with the experimental spectra provides important information about the ability of the computational method to describe the vibrational modes. Information about the size, shape, charge density distribution and site of chemical reactivity of the molecules has been obtained by mapping electron density isosurface with electrostatic potential surfaces (ESP).

Synthesis, crystal growth, thermal studies and scaled quantum chemical studies of structural and vibrational spectra of the highly efficient organic NLO crystal: 1-(4-Aminophenyl)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-prop-2-en-1-one

A new chalcone derivative, 1-(4-aminophenyl)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-prop-2-en-1-one (DMAC) was synthesized and single crystals were grown by slow evaporation technique. The FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra of the sample were recorded in the region 3700–100 cm−1 and 4000–400 cm−1, respectively. The spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis following structure optimizations and force field calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. Normal coordinate calculations were performed using the DFT force field, corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors, yielding fairly good agreement between the observed and calculated wavenumbers. DMAC is thermally stable up to 220.0 °C and optically transparent in the visible region. Information about the size, shape, charge density distribution and site of chemical reactivity of the molecule has been obtained by mapping electron density isosurface with electrostatic potential surfaces (ESP). The SHG efficiency of DMAC is observed to be 10 times that of standard urea crystal of identical particle size.

Growth, electronic absorption and vibrational spectral analysis of semiorganic nonlinear optical material potassium acid phthalate: A scaled quantum mechanical force field study

The spectroscopic properties of the crystallized semiorganic nonlinear optical molecule Potassium Acid Phthalate (KAP) have been recorded and analyzed by FT-IR, Raman and UV techniques. The spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis following structure optimizations and force field calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. Normal coordinate calculations were performed using the DFT force field corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors yielding fairly good agreement between the observed and calculated wavenumbers. KAP is thermally stable up to 275.0°C and optically transparent in the visible region.

Molecular orbital studies (hardness, chemical potential, electrophilicity, and first electron excitation), vibrational investigation and theoretical NBO analysis of 2-hydroxy-5-bromobenzaldehyde by density functional method

In this work, the vibrational spectral analysis was carried out using Raman and infrared spectroscopy in the range 4000–400cm−1 and 3500–100cm−1, respectively, for the 2-hydroxy-5-bromobenzaldehyde (HBB). The experimental spectra were recorded in the solid phase. The fundamental vibrational frequencies and intensity of vibrational bands were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) with the standard B3LYP/6-311G++(d,p) method and basis set. Normal co-ordinate calculations were performed with the DFT force field corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors yielding fairly good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies. Simulation of infrared and Raman spectra utilizing the results of these calculations led to excellent overall agreement with the observed spectral patterns. The complete assignments were performed on the basis of the potential energy distribution (PED) of the vibrational modes, calculated with scaled quantum mechanics (SQM) method. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) were compared with experimental values of related compound. The stability of the molecule arising from hyper conjugative interactions and the charge delocalization has been analyzed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The directly calculated ionization potential (IP), electron affinity (EA), electronegativity (χ), electrophilicity index (ω), hardness (η), chemical potential (μ), and first electron excitation (τ) are all correlated with the HOMO and LUMO energies with their molecular properties. These show that charge transfer occurs within the molecule. Furthermore, molecular electrostatic potential maps (MESP) of the molecule have been calculated.

On the Calculation of Vibrational Frequencies for Molecules in Solution Beyond the Harmonic Approximation.

We report some results on the calculation of vibrational spectra of molecules in condensed phase with accounting simultaneously for anharmonicity and solute-solvent interactions, the latter being described by means of the polarizable continuum model (PCM). Density functional theory force fields are employed as well as a new implementation of the PCM cavity and its derivatives. The results obtained for formaldehyde and simple peptide prototypes show that our approach is able to yield a quantitative agreement with experiments for vacuo-to-solvent harmonic and anharmonic frequency shifts.

Analysis of structure and vibrational spectra of 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoicacid based on density functional theory calculations

AbstractThe spectra of 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA) have been recorded using Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and FT‐Raman measurements. The total energy calculations of DHBA were evaluated for various possible conformers. The spectra were interpreted with the help of normal coordinate analysis based on density functional theory (DFT) using standard B3LYP/6–31G* method for the most optimized geometry. The effect of intramolecular hydrogen bonding was discussed. Normal coordinate calculations were performed with the DFT force field corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors, yielding fairly good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies. On the basis of the comparison between calculated and experimental results, assignments of fundamental modes were examined. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Simulation of IR and Raman spectra of p-hydroxyanisole and p-nitroanisole based on scaled DFT force fields and their vibrational assignments

This work deals with the vibrational spectroscopy of p-hydroxyanisole (PHA) and p-nitroanisole (PNA) by means of quantum chemical calculations. The mid and far FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra were recorded in the condensed state. The fundamental vibrational frequencies and intensity of vibrational bands were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) with the standard B3LYP/6-31G* method and basis set combination and were scaled using various scale factors which yield a good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies. The vibrational spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis based on scaled density functional force field. The results of the calculations were applied to simulate infrared and Raman spectra of the title compounds, which showed excellent agreement with the observed spectra.

Density functional and experimental studies on the FT‐IR and FT‐Raman spectra and structure of benzoic acid and 3,5‐dichloro salicylic acid

AbstractFT‐IR and FT‐Raman spectra of benzoic acid (BA) and 3,5‐dichloro salicylic acid (SA) have been recorded in the regions of 4000–400 and 4000–50 cm−1 respectively. The spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis following the full structure optimizations and force field calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) using standard B3LYP6‐31G** method and basis set combinations. The DFT force field transformed to natural internal coordinates was corrected by a well‐established set of scale factors that were found to be transferable to the title compounds. The infrared and Raman spectra were also predicted from the calculated intensities. Comparison of the simulated spectra with the experimental spectra provides important information about the ability of the computational method to describe the vibrational modes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Density functional theory calculations of the internal rotations and vibrational spectra of 2-, 3- and 4-formyl pyridine

The torsional potentials, molecular conformations and vibrational spectra, of 2-, 3- and 4-formyl pyridine have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) method with 6-31 + G* basis set. From the calculations, 2-formyl pyridine and 3-formyl pyridine were predicted to exist predominantly in cis conformation with the cis– trans rotational barrier of 9.38 kcal/mol and 8.55 kcal/mol, respectively. The two equivalent planar structures of 4-formyl pyridine are separated by an energy barrier of 7.18 kcal/mol. The vibrational wavenumbers and the corresponding vibrational assignments of molecules in C s symmetry were examined theoretically and the calculated Infrared of the molecules in the cis conformation was plotted. Observed wavenumbers for normal modes were compared with those calculated from normal mode coordinate analysis carried out on the basis of DFT force fields using the standard 6-31 + G* basis set of the theoretical optimized geometry.

Simulation of IR and Raman spectral based on scaled DFT force fields: A case study of 2-amino 4-hydroxy 6-trifluoromethylpyrimidine, with emphasis on band assignment

This work deals with the vibrational spectroscopy of 2-amino 4-hydroxy 6-triflouromethylpyrimidine (AHFMP) by means of quantum chemical calculations. The mid and far FTIR and FT-Raman spectra were measured in the condensed state. The fundamental vibrational frequencies and intensity of vibrational bands were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) with the standard B3LYP/6-31G * and B3LYP/6-311+G ** method and basic set combinations. Normal co-ordinate calculations were performed with the DFT force field corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors yielding fairly good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies. Simulation of infrared and Raman spectra utilizing the results of these calculations led to excellent overall agreement with the observed spectral patterns. The SQM approach applying selective scaling of the DFT force field was shown to be superior to the uniform scaling method in its ability to allow for making modifications in the band assignment, resulting in more accurate simulation of IR and Raman Spectra.

Density functional theory study of vibrational spectra, and assignment of fundamental vibrational modes of 1-bromo 4-fluoronaphthalene

The FTIR and FT-Raman spectra of 1-bromo 4-fluoronaphthalene have been recorded in the regions 4000–100 cm −1 and 3500–100 cm −1, respectively. The spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis based on DFT (density functional theory) using standard B3LYP/6-311+G** basis set combination for the most optimized geometry. Normal coordinate calculations performed with the DFT force field and subsequently corrected by a recommended set of scale factors, yielded fairly good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies. On the basis of the comparison between calculated and experimental results, assignments of fundamental modes were examined.

Density functional and experimental studies on the FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra and structure of 2,6-diamino purine and 6-methoxy purine

FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of 2,6-diamino purine (DAP) and 6-methoxy purine (MP) have been recorded in the regions of 4000–400 cm −1 and 3500–100 cm −1, respectively. The spectra were interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis following full structure optimizations and force field calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) using standard B3LYP/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-311+G** method and basis set combinations. Normal coordinate calculations were performed with the DFT force field corrected by a recommended set of scaling factors yielding fairly good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies.