Quantum Mechanical Level Of Theory Research Articles

Tracking Topological and Electronic Effects on the Folding and Stability of Guanine-Deficient RNA G-Quadruplexes, Engineered with a New Computational Tool for De Novo Quadruplex Folding.

The initial aim of this work was to elucidate the mutual influence of different single-stranded segments (loops and caps) on the thermodynamic stability of RNA G-quadruplexes. To this end, we used a new NAB-GQ-builder software program, to construct dozens of two-tetrad G-quadruplex topologies, based on a designed library of sequences. Then, to probe the sequence–morphology–stability relationships of the designed topologies, we performed molecular dynamics simulations. Their results provide guidance for the design of G-quadruplexes with balanced structures, and in turn programmable physicochemical properties for applications as biomaterials. Moreover, by comparative examinations of the single-stranded segments of three oncogene promoter G-quadruplexes, we assess their druggability potential for future therapeutic strategies. Finally, on the basis of a thorough analysis at the quantum mechanical level of theory on a series of guanine assemblies, we demonstrate how a valence tautomerism, triggered by a coordination of cations, initiates the process of G-quadruplex folding, and we propose a sequential folding mechanism, otherwise dictated by the cancellation of the dipole moments on guanines.

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.

Trajectory Surface Hopping for a Polarizable Embedding QM/MM Formulation.

We present the implementation of trajectory surface-hopping nonadiabatic dynamics for a polarizable embedding QM/MM formulation. Time-dependent density functional theory was used at the quantum mechanical level of theory, whereas the molecular mechanics description involved the polarizable AMOEBA force field. This implementation has been obtained by integrating the surface-hopping program Newton-X NS with an interface between the Gaussian 16 and the Tinker suites of codes to calculate QM/AMOEBA energies and forces. The implementation has been tested on a photoinduced electron-driven proton-transfer reaction involving pyrimidine and a hydrogen-bonded water surrounded by a small cluster of water molecules and within a large water droplet.

AutoSolvate: A toolkit for automating quantum chemistry design and discovery of solvated molecules.

The availability of large, high-quality datasets is crucial for artificial intelligence design and discovery in chemistry. Despite the essential roles of solvents in chemistry, the rapid computational dataset generation of solution-phase molecular properties at the quantum mechanical level of theory was previously hampered by the complicated simulation procedure. Software toolkits that can automate the procedure to set up high-throughput explicit-solvent quantum chemistry (QC) calculations for arbitrary solutes and solvents in an open-source framework are still lacking. We developed AutoSolvate, an open-source toolkit, to streamline the workflow for QC calculation of explicitly solvated molecules. It automates the solvated-structure generation, force field fitting, configuration sampling, and the final extraction of microsolvated cluster structures that QC packages can readily use to predict molecular properties of interest. AutoSolvate is available through both a command line interface and a graphical user interface, making it accessible to the broader scientific community. To improve the quality of the initial structures generated by AutoSolvate, we investigated the dependence of solute-solvent closeness on solute/solvent identities and trained a machine learning model to predict the closeness and guide initial structure generation. Finally, we tested the capability of AutoSolvate for rapid dataset curation by calculating the outer-sphere reorganization energy of a large dataset of 166 redox couples, which demonstrated the promise of the AutoSolvate package for chemical discovery efforts.

Targeted Free Energy Perturbation Revisited: Accurate Free Energies from Mapped Reference Potentials.

We present an approach that extends the theory of targeted free energy perturbation (TFEP) to calculate free energy differences and free energy surfaces at an accurate quantum mechanical level of theory from a cheaper reference potential. The convergence is accelerated by a mapping function that increases the overlap between the target and the reference distributions. Building on recent work, we show that this map can be learned with a normalizing flow neural network, without requiring simulations with the expensive target potential but only a small number of single-point calculations, and, crucially, avoiding the systematic error that was found previously. We validate the method by numerically evaluating the free energy difference in a system with a double-well potential and by describing the free energy landscape of a simple chemical reaction in the gas phase.

Concentration and solvent dependent SERS, DFT, MD simulations and molecular docking studies of a thioxothiazolidine derivative with antimicrobial properties

Spectroscopic analysis, DFT studies and surface enhanced Raman scattering of antimicrobial bioactive (Z)-2-[5-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl]acetic acid (BPTA) have been studied on different silver sols. Very large changes are observed for Raman and SERS bands. Observed variations in the ring modes may be due to surface π-electron interactions and presence of this indicated that molecule is inclined with respect to the metal surface. Changes in orientation are seen in SERS spectra depending on concentration. The molecular docking results show that binding affinity and interactions with the receptors may be supporting evidence for further studies in design further BPTA pharmaceutical applications. Reactivity properties are obtained from DFT and MD simulations. The quantum-mechanical level of theory has been applied to obtain information about the MEP and ALIE surfaces. These calculations give sensitivity of BPTA towards autoxidation mechanism. An influence of water has been studied computationally, via the MD simulations and RDF analysis. This level of theory was also used to identify possible excipient substance for this molecule.

Prediction of organic homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies at near chemical accuracy with sub-second computational cost

Bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of organic molecules play a fundamental role in determining chemical reactivity and selectivity. However, BDE computations at sufficiently high levels of quantum mechanical theory require substantial computing resources. In this paper, we develop a machine learning model capable of accurately predicting BDEs for organic molecules in a fraction of a second. We perform automated density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the M06-2X/def2-TZVP level of theory for 42,577 small organic molecules, resulting in 290,664 BDEs. A graph neural network trained on a subset of these results achieves a mean absolute error of 0.58 kcal mol−1 (vs DFT) for BDEs of unseen molecules. We further demonstrate the model on two applications: first, we rapidly and accurately predict major sites of hydrogen abstraction in the metabolism of drug-like molecules, and second, we determine the dominant molecular fragmentation pathways during soot formation.

Energy-Screened Many-Body Expansion: A Practical Yet Accurate Fragmentation Method for Quantum Chemistry.

We introduce an implementation of the truncated many-body expansion, MBE(n), in which the n-body corrections are screened using the effective fragment potential force field, and only those that exceed a specified energy threshold are computed at a quantum-mechanical level of theory. This energy-screened MBE(n) approach is tested at the n = 3 level for a sequence of water clusters, (H2O)N=6-34. A threshold of 0.25 kJ/mol eliminates more than 80% of the subsystem electronic structure calculations and is even more efficacious in that respect than is distance-based screening. Even so, the energy-screened MBE(3) method is faithful to a full-system quantum chemistry calculation to within 1-2 kJ/mol/monomer, even in good quality basis sets such as aug-cc-pVTZ. These errors can be reduced by means of a two-layer approach that involves a Hartree-Fock calculation for the entire cluster. Such a correction proves to be necessary in order to obtain accurate relative energies for conformational isomers of (H2O)20, but the cost of a full-system Hartree-Fock calculation remains smaller than the cost of three-body subsystem calculations at correlated levels of theory. At the level of second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), a screened MBE(3) calculation plus a full-system Hartree-Fock calculation is less expensive than a full-system MP2 calculation starting at N = 12 water molecules. This is true even if all MBE(3) subsystem calculations are performed on a single 40-core compute node, i.e., without significant parallelization. Energy-screened MBE(n) thus provides a fragment-based method that is accurate, stable in large basis sets, and low in cost, even when the latter is measured in aggregate computer time.

Ruthenium coordination preferences in imidazole-containing systems revealed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and molecular modeling: Possible cues for the surprising stability of the Ru (III)/tris (hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane/imidazole complexes.

Ruthenium is a platinoid that exhibits a range of unique chemical properties in solution, which are exploited in a variety of applications, including luminescent probes, anticancer therapies, and artificial photosynthesis. This paper focuses on a recently demonstrated ability of this metal in its +3 oxidation state to form highly stable complexes with tris (hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (H2 NC(CH2 OH)3 , Tris-base or T) and imidazole (Im) ligands, where a single RuIII cation is coordinated by two molecules of each T and Im. High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) is used to characterize RuIII complexes formed by placing a RuII complex [(NH3 )5 RuII Cl]Cl in a Tris buffer under aerobic conditions. The most abundant ionic species in ESI MS represent mononuclear complexes containing an oxidized form of the metal, ie, [Xn RuIII T2 - 2H]+ , where X could be an additional T (n = 1) or NH3 (n = 0-2). Di- and tri-metal complexes also give rise to a series of abundant ions, with the highest mass ion representing a metal complex with an empirical formula Ru3 C24 O21 N6 H66 (interpreted as cyclo(T2 RuO)3 , a cyclic oxo-bridged structure, where the coordination sphere of each metal is completed by two T ligands). The empirical formulae of the binuclear species are consistent with the structures representing acyclic fragments of cyclo(T2 RuO)3 with addition of various combinations of ammonia and dioxygen as ligands. Addition of histidine in large molar excess to this solution results in complete disassembly of poly-nuclear complexes and gives rise to a variety of ionic species in the ESI mass spectrum with a general formula [RuIII Hisk Tm (NH3 )n - 2H]+ , where k = 0 to 2, m = 0 to 3, and n = 0 to 4. Ammonia adducts are present for all observed combinations of k and m, except k = m = 2, suggesting that [His2 RuIII T2 - 2H]+ represents a complex with a fully completed coordination sphere. The observed cornucopia of RuIII complexes formed in the presence of histidine is in stark contrast to the previously reported selective reactivity of imidazole, which interacts with the metal by preserving the RuT2 core and giving rise to a single abundant ruthenium complex (represented by [Im2 RuIII T2 - 2H]+ in ESI mass spectra). Surprisingly, the behavior of a hexa-histidine peptide (HHHHHH) is similar to that of a single imidazole, rather than a single histidine amino acid: The RuT2 core is preserved, with the following ionic species observed in ESI mass spectra: [HHHHHH·(RuIII T2 )m - (3m-1)H]+ (m = 1-3). The remarkable selectivity of the imidazole interaction with the RuIII T2 core is rationalized using energetic considerations at the quantum mechanical level of theory.

Quantum Calculations in Solution of Energies, Structures, and Properties with a Domain Decomposition Polarizable Continuum Model.

In this work, we present the first implementation of the domain decomposition polarizable continuum model for a solute described at a quantum mechanical level of theory. After briefly recapitulating the theory, we discuss the coupling of ddPCM to a quantum mechanical level of theory based on the self-consistent field approach, i.e., Hartree-Fock, density functional theory, and semiempirical methods. We then present benchmarks of the new implementation, comparing it to a currently available state-of-the-art one, and use it to describe the structure and excitation properties of a large multichromophoric system.

Reliable but Timesaving: In Search of an Efficient Quantum-chemical Method for the Description of Functional Fullerenes.

Fullerene and its derivatives are currently one of the most intensively investigated species in the area of nanomedicine and nanochemistry. Various unique properties of fullerenes are responsible for their wide range applications in industry, biology and medicine. A large pool of functionalized C60 and C70 fullerenes is investigated theoretically at different levels of quantum-mechanical theory. The semiempirial PM6 method, density functional theory with the B3LYP functional, and correlated ab initio MP2 method are employed to compute the optimized structures, and an array of properties for the considered species. In addition to the calculations for isolated molecules, the results of solution calculations are also reported at the DFT level, using the polarizable continuum model (PCM). Ionization potentials (IPs) and electron affinities (EAs) are computed by means of Koopmans' theorem as well as with the more accurate but computationally expensive ΔSCF method. Both procedures yield comparable values, while comparison of IPs and EAs computed with different quantum-mechanical methods shows surprisingly large differences. Harmonic vibrational frequencies are computed at the PM6 and B3LYP levels of theory and compared with each other. A possible application of the frequencies as 3D descriptors in the EVA (EigenVAlues) method is shown. All the computed data are made available, and may be used to replace experimental data in routine applications where large amounts of data are required, e.g. in structure-activity relationship studies of the toxicity of fullerene derivatives.

Quantum-сhemical analysis of geometric and energetic characteristics of hetero associates m9Ade•m1Ura in main tautomeric form

For the first time, on the quantum-mechanical level of theory MP2/6-311++G(2df,pd)//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p), a full set of hydrogen (H)-bonded hetero associates m 9 Ade·m 1 Ura in the main tautomeric forms consisting of 18 different structures was obtained. Their structural and energetical parameters were characterized and basic physical and chemi­cal characteristics of intermolecular H-bonds that stabilize the investigated complexes were described. It was shown that global minimum of Gibbs free energy corresponds to Hoogsteen pair, after it with a small margin follow Watson–Crick pair, inverse Hoogsteen pair and inverse Watson–Crick pair. It was found that in stabilization of identified hetero associates four types of H-bonds – NH...O, NH...N, CH...O and CH...N are involved. In this case non-canonical CH...O and CH...N bonds show a linear dependence of energy on electron density in the corresponding critical point. Obtained data may be useful for experimental interpretation of the features of non-canonical base pairs association by common methods of spectroscopy, including NMR and vibrational spectroscopy. They are also important for understanding the problem of mutational variability that is caused by formation of non-complementary pairs of nucleotide bases whose role is not clear yet. Keywords: quantum chemistry, hetero associates of nucleotide bases, hydrogen bonds, adenine, uracil.

Large-Scale Density Functional Theory Transition State Searching in Enzymes.

Linear-scaling quantum mechanical density functional theory calculations have been applied to study the rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate in large-scale models of the Bacillus subtilis chorismate mutase enzyme. By treating up to 2000 atoms at a consistent quantum mechanical level of theory, we obtain an unbiased, almost parameter-free description of the transition state geometry and energetics. The activation energy barrier is calculated to be lowered by 10.5 kcal mol(-1) in the enzyme, compared with the equivalent reaction in water, which is in good agreement with experiment. Natural bond orbital analysis identifies a number of active site residues that are important for transition state stabilization in chorismate mutase. This benchmark study demonstrates that linear-scaling density functional theory techniques are capable of simulating entire enzymes at the ab initio quantum mechanical level of accuracy.

Assessing the quantum mechanical level of theory for prediction of UV/Visible absorption spectra of some aminoazobenzene dyes

This quantum mechanical study was performed to assess the accuracy of level of theory for the prediction of UV/Visible spectra of aminoazobenzene dyes. Four solvation models (PCM, I-PCM, SCI-PCM and IEF-PCM) and four functionals (CAM-B3LYP, LC-BLYP, BHandHLYP and PBE0) were tested. Double and triple zeta basis sets with and without polarization and diffuse functions were used. All the solvation models showed the same level of error in the prediction of UV/Visible spectra. Among the tested functionals, PBE0 showed a close agreement to experimental values. Among, different basis sets, 6-311++G showed best results.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON INTERMOLECULAR HYDROGEN BOND INTERACTIONS IN MOLECULAR DIMERS USING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMPUTATIONAL METHODS

Hydrogen bond interactions in biological systems are important scientific issues but are challenging for their theoretical determinations at quantum-mechanical level of theory. Due to the different approximations, the available theoretical approaches often predict diverse hydrogen bond lengths and strengths. In this work, we evaluated the reliabilities of a number of widely used theoretical approaches including HF, SVWN, BLYP, PW91, B3LYP, BH and HLYP, B97D, M06L, MP2, and DFTB-D in studying hydrogen bonding, by calculating the hydrogen bond lengths and binding energies of 23 dimers formed by HCOOH , NH3 and Glycine. We also compared the effects of STO-3G, 6-31+G**, 6-311++G** and 6-311++G(2df,2p) basis sets on the results. Our result shows that, M06L, B3LYP and BHandHLYP methods can predict accurate dimer structures with a moderate basis set. Moreover, DFTB-D also gives reasonably reliable results with high efficiency and satisfactory precision, being a good choice for studying complex structures which contain hydrogen bonds.

Assessing the quantum mechanical level of theory for prediction of linear and nonlinear optical properties of push-pull organic molecules

In this paper, we assessed the quantum mechanical level of theory for prediction of linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of push-pull organic molecules. The electric dipole moment (μ), mean polarizability ([Symbol: see text]α[Symbol: see text]) and total static first hyperpolarizability (βt) were calculated for a set of benzene, styrene, biphenyl and stilbene derivatives using HF, MP2 and DFT (31 different functionals) levels and over 71 distinct basis sets. In addition, we propose two new basis sets, NLO-V and aNLO-V, for NLO properties calculations. As the main outcomes it is shown that long-range corrected DFT functionals such as M062X, ωB97, cam-B3LYP, LC-BLYP and LC-ωPBE work satisfactorily for NLO properties when appropriate basis sets such as those proposed here (NLO-V or aNLO-V) are used. For most molecules with β ranging from 0 to 190esu, the average absolute deviation was 13.2esu for NLO-V basis sets, compared to 27.2esu for the standard 6-31G(2d) basis set. Therefore, we conclude that the new basis sets proposed here (NLO-V and aNLO-V), together with the cam-B3LYP functional, make an affordable calculation scheme to predict NLO properties of large organic molecules.

EFFECTS AND ROLE OF WATER ENVIRONMENT ON A GEMINAL HYDROXYLATED SILICA SURFACE — SELF-CONSISTENT CHARGE DENSITY FUNCTIONAL TIGHT BINDING THEORY BASED MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATION

The presence of aqueous solution is inevitable in complex systems involving biological and material components and could affect the interaction between them substantially. To properly simulate such an interaction system, it is necessary to quantitatively explore the effects and specific roles of the water environment on the material surface. In this work, a silica surface was adopted as an example to study the impact of water environment ( 144H2O ) on the structure and energetics using a self-consistent charge density functional tight binding/molecular dynamic method. First, we demonstrated that the silica surface in a vacuum involves a large deformation due to the formation of hydrogen bonds among the surface silanols; in contrast, the deformation is eased in water environment because water molecules could locate in between the silanols and form many hydrogen bonds with the silanols. Therefore, water molecules play an important role to maintain surface from not getting heavily deformed. Our work not only tested the feasible computational methodology of studying nanoscale large systems under water environment at a quantum-mechanical level of theory, but also provided clear evidence on the impact of water environment to the inorganic surface.

The high-pressure phase of boron, γ-B28: Disputes and conclusions of 5 years after discovery

γ-B28 is a recently established high-pressure phase of boron. Its structure consists of icosa-hedral B12 clusters and B2 dumbbells in a NaCl-type arrangement (B2)δ+(B12)δ− and displays a significant charge transfer δ ∼ 0.5–0.6. The discovery of this phase proved to be essential for the understanding and construction of the phase diagram of boron. It was first experimentally obtained as a pure boron allotrope in early 2004 and its structure was discovered in 2006. This paper reviews recent results and contentious issues related to the equation of state, hardness, putative isostructural phase transformation at ∼40 GPa, and debates on the nature of chemical bonding in this phase. Our analysis confirms that (a) calculations based on density functional theory give an accurate description of its equation of state, (b) the reported isostructural phase transformation in γ-B28 is an artifact, (c) the best estimate of hardness of this phase is 50 GPa, (d) chemical bonding in this phase has a significant degree of ionicity. Apart from presenting an overview of the previous results within a consistent view grounded in experiment, thermodynamics and quantum mechanics, we present new results on Bader charges in γ-B28 using different levels of quantum-mechanical theory (GGA, exact exchange, and HSE06 hybrid functional), and show that the earlier conclusion about a significant degree of a partial ionicity in this phase is very robust. An additional insight into the nature of the partial ionicity is obtained from a number of boron structures theoretically constructed in this work.

Reaction free energies in organic solvents: comparing different quantum mechanical methods

A variety of quantum mechanical (QM) methods, basis sets and solute cavity descriptions using the conductor-like polarisable continuum model for the modelling of reaction free energies in solution have been evaluated and compared. In order to test the performance of each QM level of theory and cavity model, five common types of organic reactions in different solvents have been considered. The study shows that the hybrid metageneralised-gradient approximation M05-2X functional, in conjunction with the MG3S basis set and UA0 or universal force field cavities, produces results in the best overall agreement with experimental data. In addition, within the UA0 formalism, explicit cavities should be built on the hydrogen atoms that undergo transformation during chemical reaction.

Accurate Methods for Large Molecular Systems

Three exciting new methods that address the accurate prediction of processes and properties of large molecular systems are discussed. The systematic fragmentation method (SFM) and the fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method both decompose a large molecular system (e.g., protein, liquid, zeolite) into small subunits (fragments) in very different ways that are designed to both retain the high accuracy of the chosen quantum mechanical level of theory while greatly reducing the demands on computational time and resources. Each of these methods is inherently scalable and is therefore eminently capable of taking advantage of massively parallel computer hardware while retaining the accuracy of the corresponding electronic structure method from which it is derived. The effective fragment potential (EFP) method is a sophisticated approach for the prediction of nonbonded and intermolecular interactions. Therefore, the EFP method provides a way to further reduce the computational effort while retaining accuracy by treating the far-field interactions in place of the full electronic structure method. The performance of the methods is demonstrated using applications to several systems, including benzene dimer, small organic species, pieces of the alpha helix, water, and ionic liquids.