Potential Energy Scan Research Articles

Refinement of the Drude Polarizable Force Field for Hexose Monosaccharides: Capturing Ring Conformational Dynamics with Enhanced Accuracy.

We present a revised version of the Drude polarizable carbohydrate force field (FF), focusing on refining the ring and exocyclic torsional parameters for hexopyranose monosaccharides. This refinement addresses the previously observed discrepancies between calculated and experimental NMR 3J coupling values, particularly in describing ring dynamics and exocyclic rotamer populations within major hexose monosaccharides and their anomers. Specifically, α-MAN, β-MAN, α-GLC, β-GLC, α-GAL, β-GAL, α-ALT, β-ALT, α-IDO, and β-IDO were targeted for optimization. The optimization process involved potential energy scans (PES) of the ring and exocyclic dihedral angles computed using quantum mechanical (QM) methods. The target data for the reoptimization included PES of the inner ring dihedrals (C1-C2-C3-C4, C2-C3-C4-C5, C5-O5-C1-C2, C4-C5-O5-C1, O5-C1-C2-C3, C3-C4-C5-O5) and the exocyclic torsions, other than the pseudo ring dihedrals (O1-C1-O5-C5, O2-C2-C1-O5, and O4-C4-C5-O5) and hydroxyl torsions used in the previous parametrization efforts. These parameters, in conjunction with previously developed Drude parameters for hexopyranose monosaccharides, were validated against experimental observations, including NMR data and conformational energetics, in aqueous environments. The resulting polarizable model is shown to be in good agreement with a range of QM data, experimental NMR data, and conformational energetics of monosaccharides in aqueous solutions. This offers a significant improvement of the Drude carbohydrate force field, wherein the refinement enhances the accuracy of accessing the conformational dynamics of carbohydrates in biomolecular simulations.

A comprehensive analysis of the spectroscopic and drug-like properties of dimethyl 5-hydroxybenzene-1,3-dicarboxylate: insights from DFT and MD simulations

ABSTRACT An in-depth investigation was undertaken to explore the ground-state molecular and electronic structure of Dimethyl 5-hydroxybenzene-1,3-dicarboxylate (D5HD). The potential energy scan of D5HD at various dihedral angles identified the lowest energy conformer, which was re-optimised at the higher basis set. The recorded FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra were compared with corresponding theoretical spectra, demonstrating a high degree of coherence. A comprehensive Natural Bond Orbital analysis was done for D5HD to gain insights for the overall electronic distribution within the molecule. Additionally, nonlinear optical (NLO) properties along with various DFT-based descriptors were calculated. Molecular docking studies against human acetylcholinesterase enzyme (PDB 2JF0), D5HD displayed good binding affinity. The study revealed that hydrogen bonded as well as van der Waals interactions exist between D5HD and different residues in the binding cavity of the target protein. The 100 ns MD simulation confirms the conformational stability of protein (2JF0)–ligand (D5HD) complex. The binding energy and residue decomposition analysis performed using MM-GBSA approach showed positive results with binding energy of −17.76 kcal/mol. Furthermore, D5HD effectively passed all pharmacokinetic filters, establishing its potential as a promising candidate in the quest for novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Highlights Systematic exploration of the structure and spectroscopic properties of D5HD. Molecular docking between D5HD and acetylcholinesterase (PDB 2JF0) reveals the establishment of hydrogen bonds and Van der Waals interactions. D5HD successfully complies with all relevant pharmacokinetic filters. MD simulation analysis on 2JF0–D5HD complex confirms the conformational stability. Energy and residue decomposition based on MMGBSA approach.

Superoxide to Peroxide Interconversion in Ni-TMC Complexes: The Significance of Structure and Spin States.

A deeper comprehension of the characteristics of metal-superoxide and metal-peroxide chemical species is imperative, considering their pivotal functions in oxygen transport, enzymatic activation, and catalytic oxygenations. O2 activation is mediated by the interconversion of superoxide and peroxide species. Even though there are multiple studies on metal-superoxide and -peroxide intermediates, robust examples of their interconversion processes are scarce synthetically. For example, Ni-superoxide/peroxide complexes have been characterized with N-Tetramethylated Cyclam (TMC) ligands with different ring sizes, i.e., Nickel(II)-superoxide complex is characterized with 14-TMC while Nickel(III)-peroxide complex with 12-TMC. Later, both complexes were obtained with 13-TMC ligand by employing different bases; interestingly, no evidence of interconversion between them was identified. What are the factors influencing these processes and why is this preference? We attempt a computational analysis of this issue and provide arguments based on our conclusions. 2-dimensional potential energy scan is performed on the 12-TMC, 13-TMC, and 14-TMC systems to identify the reaction path connecting superoxide and peroxide species. Analyses indicate that structure and spin states play a significant role in determining the probability of interconversion. The superoxide-peroxide interconversion process appears to be bound by their propensity for distinct structural features and spin states.

Distinguishing homolytic vs heterolytic bond dissociation of phenylsulfonium cations with localized active space methods

Modeling chemical reactions with quantum chemical methods is challenging when the electronic structure varies significantly throughout the reaction and when electronic excited states are involved. Multireference methods, such as complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF), can handle these multiconfigurational situations. However, even if the size of the needed active space is affordable, in many cases, the active space does not change consistently from reactant to product, causing discontinuities in the potential energy surface. The localized active space SCF (LASSCF) is a cheaper alternative to CASSCF for strongly correlated systems with weakly correlated fragments. The method is used for the first time to study a chemical reaction, namely the bond dissociation of a mono-, di-, and triphenylsulfonium cation. LASSCF calculations generate smooth potential energy scans more easily than the corresponding, more computationally expensive CASSCF calculations while predicting similar bond dissociation energies. Our calculations suggest a homolytic bond cleavage for di- and triphenylsulfonium and a heterolytic pathway for monophenylsulfonium.

FFParam-v2.0: A Comprehensive Tool for CHARMM Additive and Drude Polarizable Force-Field Parameter Optimization and Validation.

Developing production quality CHARMM force-field (FF) parameters is a very detailed process involving a variety of calculations, many of which are specific for the molecule of interest. The first version of FFParam was developed as a standalone Python package designed for the optimization of electrostatic and bonded parameters of the CHARMM additive and polarizable Drude FFs by using quantum mechanical (QM) target data. The new version of FFParam has multiple new capabilities for FF parameter optimization and validation, with an emphasis on the ability to use condensed-phase target data in optimization. FFParam-v2 allows optimization of Lennard-Jones (LJ) parameters using potential energy scans of interactions between selected atoms in a molecule and noble gases, viz., He and Ne, and through condensed-phase calculations, from which experimental observables such as heats of vaporization and free energies of solvation may be obtained. This functionality serves as a gold standard for both optimizing parameters and validating the performance of the final parameters. A new bonded parameter optimization algorithm has been introduced to account for simultaneously optimizing multiple molecules sharing parameters. FFParam-v2 also supports the comparison of normal modes and the potential energy distribution of internal coordinates towards each normal mode obtained from QM and molecular mechanics calculations. Such comparison capability is vital to validate the balance among various bonded parameters that contribute to the complex normal modes of molecules. User interaction has been extended beyond the original graphical user interface to include command-line interface capabilities that allow for integration of FFParam in workflows, thereby facilitating the automation of parameter optimization. With these new functionalities, FFParam is a more comprehensive parameter optimization tool for both beginners and advanced users.

Balancing Group I Monatomic Ion-Polar Compound Interactions for Condensed Phase Simulation in the Polarizable Drude Force Field.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are a commonly used method for investigating molecular behavior at the atomic level. Achieving reliable MD simulation results necessitates the use of an accurate force field. In the present work, we present a protocol to enhance the quality of group 1 monatomic ions (specifically Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+) with respect to their interactions with common polar model compounds in biomolecules in condensed phases in the context of the Drude polarizable force field. Instead of adjusting preexisting individual parameters for ions, model compounds, and water, we employ atom-pair specific Lennard-Jones (LJ) (known as NBFIX in CHARMM) and through-space Thole dipole screening (NBTHOLE) terms to fine-tune the balance of ion-model compound, ion-water, and model compound-water interactions. This involved establishing a protocol for the optimization of NBFIX and NBTHOLE parameters targeting the difference between molecular mechanical (MM) and quantum mechanical (QM) potential energy scans (PES). It is shown that targeting PES involving complexes that include multiple model compounds and/or ions as trimers and tetramers yields parameters that produce condensed phase properties in agreement with experimental data. Validation of this protocol involved the reproduction of experimental thermodynamic benchmarks, including solvation free energies of ions in methanol and N-methylacetamide, osmotic pressures, ionic conductivities, and diffusion coefficients within the condensed phase. These results show the importance of including more complex ion-model compound complexes beyond dimers in the QM target data to account for many-body effects during parameter fitting. The presented parameters represent a significant refinement of the Drude polarizable force field, which will lead to improved accuracy for modeling ion-biomolecular interactions.

R-8 Dispersion Interaction: Derivation and Application to the Effective Fragment Potential Method.

The anisotropic and isotropic R-8 dispersion contributions (disp8) are derived and implemented within the framework of the effective fragment potential (EFP) method formulated with imaginary frequency-dependent Cartesian polarizability tensors distributed at the centroids of the localized molecular orbitals (LMOs). Two forms of damping functions, intermolecular overlap-based and Tang-Toennies, are extended for disp8. To obtain LMO polarizability tensors centered at LMO centroids, an origin-shifting transformation is derived and implemented for the dipole-octopole polarizability tensor and the quadrupole-quadrupole polarizability tensor. The analytic gradient is derived and implemented for the isotropic disp8 contribution. Relative to the previously implemented empirical EFP disp8 energy, the isotropic disp8 component of the interaction energy improves the overall agreement of the EFP dispersion energies with the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) benchmarks, reducing the mean absolute errors (MAEs) and mean absolute percentage errors for most of the databases examined in this work. While the anisotropic disp8 can further enhance the accuracy of the EFP dispersion energy and yield smaller MAEs, significantly overbound dispersion energies are predicted by the anisotropic disp8 when the maximum element in the intermolecular overlap matrix is greater than 0.1, possibly due to the breakdown of the approximations made in the EFP dispersion derivation at a short range. For potential energy scan databases, the newly developed EFP dispersion model with isotropic disp8 yields the overall correct curvature and good agreement with SAPT benchmarks around equilibrium and longer but overestimates the dispersion interactions at a short range. While the overlap-based dispersion-damping functions produce better MAEs than Tang-Toennies damping functions, further improvement is needed to better screen the large attractive dispersion energies at a short range (overlap >0.1).

A theoretical study of ferrocene based on combined configuration interaction singles (CIS) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) approach

The state-of-the art density functional theory (DFT) is used to clearly resolve the two parallel cyclopentadienyl rings of ferrocene, which are either staggered (D5d symmetry) or eclipsed (D5h symmetry), in their ground-state conformation. Present result revealed that the eclipsed conformer with D5h point group represents the true minimum ground state structure of ferrocene. Natural population analysis is used to determine how atomic charge is distributed across different atoms of ferrocene D5h conformer and also the distribution of electrons in the core, valence, and Rydberg sub-shells. It is further investigated in potential energy scan that the rotation of the dihedral angle δ from 0° to 3π/5 will reproduce three times D5h or D5d conformers periodically as the period of 2π/5 due to the pentagonal structure of the CP ring. Further to examine optical spectra in the ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) range, configuration interaction single (CIS) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) have conducted which help in locating the significant electronic shifts between different energy levels. Absorption spectra for high spin states were also generated in order to comprehend the characteristics of low-lying spin excitation. According to our estimates, the greatest absorption intensity is restricted to an energy range of 4–6 eV. Knowledge of ferrocene conformers will improve the research on other metallocenes and their derivatives, which have applications in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and solar technology.

Synthesis and Antioxidant Activity of Novel Thiazole and Thiazolidinone Derivatives with Phenolic Fragments

In this work, a series of thiosemicarbazones with phenol fragments were used as starting compounds for the synthesis of new effective antioxidants containing both a phenol substituent and a heterocyclic fragment: thiazole and thiazolidinone. To determine the most stable conformation of thiosemicarbazone, a potential energy scan was used, along with NOESY NMR spectroscopy data. A number of thiazole derivatives were obtained due the interaction of thiosemicarbazones with several bromoketones: bromoacetophenone, bromodimedone, and bromoacetylcoumarin. The product yields varied from 71 to 94%. Thiazolidinone derivatives were obtained through the reaction between thiosemicarbazones and chloroacetic acid or maleic anhydride with good yields of 82–95%. The antioxidant activities of all the products were determined in vitro: the radical cation scavenging activity was estimated using 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate), while the ferric reducing capacity was determined using the ferricyanide/Prussian blue method. It was found that the antioxidant activity of most synthesized substances in both tests exceeds the activity of 4-methyl-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol, while derivatives with a fragment of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol have the highest activity.

Gas-phase conformational analysis and vibrational signatures of diphenhydramine: Investigating the interplay with hydrochloride

We have performed a comprehensive analysis of the conformational and vibrational spectroscopic properties of Diphenhydramine in the gas phase using potential energy scanning calculations at DFT/B3LYP/6-31++G(d, p) level of theory which identified three different conformational structures. The influence of hydrochloride (HCl) on the energy profile and vibrational frequencies of the most stable conformational structure was investigated. The presence of HCl showed a decrement in the energy by -460.8312 a.u. confirming DPHHCl structurally more stable than isolated DPH. Normal coordinate analysis (NCA) was employed to compute the total potential energy distribution for both the most stable conformational structure and the HCl complex. The results indicate that the DFT-computed vibrational frequencies are in good agreement with previously reported values. HOMO and LUMO was conducted to study the transition profile of the molecule. Additionally, NBO calculations were performed to ensure the stability of electronic structures at the same level of theory.

Potential energy surface, effect of solvents in molecular level, experimental spectra (FTIR, Raman, UV–visible & NMR), electronic, and dynamics simulation of isobavachalcone –Anti tuberculosis agent

The spectroscopic characteristics, molecular structure, and biological characteristics of the Isobavachalcone (IBC) structure have been studied using computational techniques utilizing the usual B3LYP/6-311++G (d,p). PED (Potential Energy Distribution) is used throughout process of assigning the fundamental wave-numbers of IBC. In this work, we have reported the correlation between experimental and computed examination of molecular configuration, FT:IR & Raman, UV–Visible absorption, and NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectrum of the title compound. Potential energy scan (PES) analysis of IBC was enhanced in the initial stage with same basis set. FMO (Frontier Molecular Orbital), MEP (Molecular Electrostatic Potential), local reactivity and quantum chemical descriptors has also been analyzed. Furthermore, drug-likeness and ADMET predictions of the present ligand shows good pharmacological activity. ELF (Electron Localised Function), LOL (Localised Orbital Locator) and RDG (Reduced Density Function) enacted for both the gas and solvents phases. A docking simulation performed with the 2FUM receptor using the Auto Dock software showed that the IBC compound has inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis disease. All our results suggest that the IBC molecule could have a great effect in the treatment of tuberculosis disease. MD simulations been executed over 100 ns to predict the RMSD, RMSF, and the radius-of gyration analyses.

Long-range substituent effect on the TICT process of a fluorescent probe for reactive oxidative species

The sensing mechanism of a hemicyanine-based fluorescence probe for reactive oxidative species was investigated using TDDFT method. Geometries of probe and oxidation product were optimized at the M06/TZVP/SMD level. Vertical excitation energies of probe molecule corresponded well with experimental UV–Vis bands. The planar ground-state geometry and vertical excited-state geometry of probe suggested a TICT process that led to the fluorescence quenching. By contrast, the oxidation product would not go through the TICT process due to long-range substituent effect, thus, displaying strong fluorescence. The analysis results of their frontier orbitals and potential energy scan also confirmed the above conclusions.

Dangling Water Molecules Bridge for ESIPT in Aggregated TMP: A Theoretical Study.

We present a theoretical study on the occurrence of excited-state proton transfer in an aggregated structure of 2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-6-methoxyphenol (TMP) exclusively in water among polar solvents, as reported in a recent experiment (Bhattacharyya, A. New J. Chem. 2019, 43, 15087). Our extensive investigation of the TMP monomer and dimer implementing density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) methods, in three different solvents, namely, water, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), with explicit inclusion of solvent molecules demonstrated the existence of both enol and keto forms of the TMP dimer in the excited state, but only in water; this confirmed the experimental emission spectra completely and simultaneously validated the aggregation-induced emission phenomenon. Further analysis of various parameters such as potential energy scan (PES) of the hydroxyl (O-H) bond involved in hydrogen bonding, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), and infrared (IR) stretching frequencies of both the monomer and dimer forms of TMP in different solvents clearly indicated the geometry of the dimer, with the arrangement of the solvent molecules to be the sole reason for the excited-state charge transfer. The bridging alignment of water molecules in between the stacked units of the TMP dimer results in intermolecular interactions, ultimately leading to intermolecular proton transfer in the excited state.

Insights into synthesis, structural, energetic, vibrational, anticancer activity and molecular characteristics of 2-((2-aminopyridin-3-yl)methylene)-N-phenylhydrazinecarbothioamide as evaluated using spectroscopic and DFT investigations

Synthesis of 2-((2-aminopyridin-3-yl)methylene)-N-phenylhydrazinecarbothioamide (APHB) was attempted. Elemental analysis and NMR spectra were used to ascertain its formation. Torsional potential energy scans, for all the rotating bonds were made to get approximate initial values of dihedral angles. FT-IR, FT Raman, and UV–Vis spectra were measured for APHB. Their anticancer activity was determined experimentally, for human carcinoma cell lines pertaining to liver, Colorectal, and lung. Barrier heights, around six rotating bonds in APHB were computed. Optimized structure parameters, general valence force field, harmonic vibrational fundamentals, potential energy distribution, infrared and Raman intensities, frontier molecular orbital (FMO) parameters, NLO behaviour, NBO characteristics and molecular electrostatic surface potential (MESP) were determined using DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. TD-DFT was used to compute absorption maxima (λmax) of electronic transitions for the molecule in DMSO‑d6 solvent. Frontier molecular orbitals were used to understand origin of UV–Vis spectrum and chemical reactivity of the molecule. Good agreement was found between measured and computed structure parameters, IR, Raman and UV–Vis spectra. The rms error between experimental and theoretical vibrational frequencies was 9.5 cm−1, for APHB. All vibrational fundamentals were assigned unambiguously. The computations demonstrated that the molecule was good for NLO applications, which was substantiated by NBO analysis. Existence of bifurcated intramolecular hydrogen bond was predicted for APHB.

Interstellar formation of functionalized cyclopropenes

ABSTRACT Nearly two decades since the detection of cyclopropenone (c-C3H2O) in the interstellar medium (ISM), the understanding of how this molecule comes to be remains incomplete. Many hypotheses place the ubiquitous hydrocarbon c-C3H2 at the centre of such discussions. However, insights into c-C3H2 chemistry are further complicated by the recent detection of ethynyl cyclopropenylidene (c-C3HC2H) and the observation of a radio line possibly belonging to methylenecyclopropene (c-C3H2CH2). In a necessary reconciliation of past and current work on the chemical capabilities of c-C3H2 in interstellar environments, the formation pathways of several functionalized cyclopropenes from c-C3H2 and a hydrogenated radical are explored. Chemically accurate CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVTZ-F12 calculations are used to evaluate the energies of reaction and generate structures along the reaction pathway for formation products deemed chemically plausible. Potential energy scans are used to include or rule out certain paths to product formation based on conformation to the necessary requirements of cold interstellar chemistry. Four functionalized cyclopropenes in addition to c-C3H2O have net exothermic reactions when forming from c-C3H2 (c-C3H2CC, c-C3H2S, c-C3H2NH, and c-C3H2CH2). The former three are found to have reaction profiles favourable for formation in the cold ISM, while c-C3H2CH2 can only form by passage through an association barrier that must be mitigated by an energy source of some kind. c-C3H2S and c-C3H2NH are the best candidates for new spectroscopic searches. A complete detection of c-C3H2CH2 is necessary to fully understand cyclopropenylidene chemistry in the ISM.

Dielectric relaxation and C-F…π (benzene ring) halo-bond interactions in a lead halide hybrid crystal with bromine/iodine heterogeneous double-chain layer

Hybrid materials of lead halide have numerous structural variations and superior optoelectronic capabilities. The hybrid crystal 1 prepared by the hybrid halogen method has the chemical formula [p-F-Bz-1-APy][Pb2Br3.2I2.8] (C24H20F2N4Br3.2I2.8Pb2) (p-F-Bz-1-APy = p-fluoro-phenyl-1-aminopyridinium) with a space group of P21/c, two unequal [F1/F2-Bz-1-APy]+ cations, and a heterogeneous double-chain inorganic layer made of edge-sharing Pb2Br3.2I2.8 octahedron. The two cations adopt a lower-energy and more stable structural configuration, according to potential energy scans of the dihedral angles of the benzene and pyridine rings. The stacked structures are held together by a variety of intermolecular interactions, including hydrogen bonds (anion-cation, cation-cation), stacking (cation-cation), and the rare C-F2…π halo-bond. Hirshfeld surface analysis quantifies intermolecular interactions, revealing that interactions involving Br atoms and [F2-Bz-1-APy]+ cations contribute more to the formation of stacking structures than interactions involving I atoms and [F1-Bz-1-APy]+ cations. The logarithmic derivative method clearly reveals two dielectric relaxation processes, one in the low frequency region (<102 Hz) masked by the DC conductance and one in the high frequency region (102-107 Hz), which were then fitted by the Arrhenius formula to obtain their corresponding activation energies of 77.75 KJ/mol and 144.14 KJ/mol, respectively. Our research offers inspiration and a framework for the development of novel lead halide-based optoelectronic materials and dielectric analyses.

Molecular level solvent interaction (microscopic), electronic, covalent assembly (RDG, AIM & ELF), ADMET prediction and anti-cancer activity of 1-(4-Fluorophenyl)-1-propanone): Cytotoxic agent

1-(4-Fluorophenyl)-1-propanone) has been extensively investigated in this work due to its significant theoretical and experimental interest and potential pharmacological implications in the evaluation of cytotoxicity. To rationalize compound structure in solution phases through potential energy scan (PES) with optimization of the compound and its stable structure was validated with spectral analysis. Further structural characteristics of weak interactions with chemical functionalities are obtained by topological studies of the AIM and RDG parameters. In LOL and EFL studies, the strongest delocalized zones were found to occur at the locations C7-C10-C11 and C8-C4-C5 of the molecule. When the electronic properties of the title chemical were studied in solutions, the FMOs energies and MEP analysis showed that the compound was more reactive in the aqueous phase and the lower electronic absorption band gap was given by the ethanol solvent. Moreover, variations in the hyperpolarizability (α) and NBO characteristics of the compound were observed in different media. The efficiency of the title compound’s anti-cancer activity was evaluated using molecular docking studies, and drug affinity & toxicity of the compound were also anticipated by SwissADME.

Molecular modeling, vibrational dynamics and NBO analysis of a synthetic bio‐relevant warfarin analog

We have performed the structural and spectroscopic analysis of a warfarin derivative (3-(1-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-oxopropyl)-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one). One-dimensional potential energy scanning (PES) of a warfarin derivative has been performed with the aim of finding low-lying energy conformations of this compound. During PES and other computations, we adopted DFT/B3LYP level along with the prevailing basis set 6-31++G(d,p). The conformational analysis through PES revealed five conformers and the global minima for conformer-4. The structures, IR and Raman spectra of conformers were deducted and the IR spectrum of the most stable conformer was correlated with the experimental FTIR spectrum of the target compound. The potential energy distributions (PEDs) for the most stable conformer was computed by employing the standard normal coordinate analysis (NCA) method in the input of Molvib program. Additionally, the HOMO/LUMO analysis and hyper-conjugative interaction energies of donor-acceptor interactions were calculated using NBO calculations. This conformational and vibrational spectroscopic investigation of the target molecule can be a crucial prerequisite for similar investigations on the target and its closely similar molecules.

Computational Exploration of the Intersystem Crossing from the X̃3A2 to the ã1A1 State in Boryl Nitrenes upon Photoexcitation.

The boryl nitrene CatBN (Cat = catecholato) turns highly reactive toward small inert molecules upon irradiation of its triplet ground state X̃3A2 with light of wavelength λ > 550 nm. A computational study of a model boryl nitrene using complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) theory provides evidence for the population of the highly reactive electronic state ã1A1 upon irradiation. Potential energy scans connecting different critical points (minima, minimum energy crossing points, and conical intersections) reveal two possible pathways that could relax photoexcited boryl nitrene from the Franck-Condon region of Ã3B1 to the ã1A1 state minimum. Considering the energy barriers to relaxation from one electronic state to another and the magnitude of spin-orbit couplings, the energetically most favorable pathway involves photoexcitation to Ã3B2, followed by intersystem crossing to the open-shell singlet state (b̃1A2) and internal conversion to ã1A1. The relevant minimum energy crossing point is about 7-8 kcal mol-1 higher in energy than the Franck-Condon region.

Data-Driven Many-Body Potential Energy Functions for Generic Molecules: Linear Alkanes as a Proof-of-Concept Application.

We present a generalization of the many-body energy (MB-nrg) theoretical/computational framework that enables the development of data-driven potential energy functions (PEFs) for generic covalently bonded molecules, with arbitrary quantum mechanical accuracy. The "nearsightedness of electronic matter" is exploited to define monomers as "natural building blocks" on the basis of their distinct chemical identity. The energy of generic molecules is then expressed as a sum of individual many-body energies of incrementally larger subsystems. The MB-nrg PEFs represent the low-order n-body energies, with n = 1-4, using permutationally invariant polynomials derived from electronic structure data carried out at an arbitrary quantum mechanical level of theory, while all higher-order n-body terms (n > 4) are represented by a classical many-body polarization term. As a proof-of-concept application of the general MB-nrg framework, we present MB-nrg PEFs for linear alkanes. The MB-nrg PEFs are shown to accurately reproduce reference energies, harmonic frequencies, and potential energy scans of alkanes, independently of their length. Since, by construction, the MB-nrg framework introduced here can be applied to generic covalently bonded molecules, we envision future computer simulations of complex molecular systems using data-driven MB-nrg PEFs, with arbitrary quantum mechanical accuracy.