Um programa computacional para a simulação de líquidos e soluções utilizando o Método de Monte Carlo com algoritmo de Metropolis (MMC) é apresentado. Neste programa a energia total de interação é dividida em clássica e quântica, QM/MM: a contribuição clássica é obtida utilizando campo de força e a contribuição quântica é calculada utilizando métodos de química quântica. As seguintes facilidades foram implementadas: (i) o programa MOPAC 6 foi incorporado como uma sub-rotina do programa principal; (ii) alternativamente, um banco de dados de energias previamente obtidas pode ser utilizado; (iii) Simulações nos ensembles isotérmico e isobárico, NpT, e canônico, NVT, podem ser realizadas; (iv) a trajetória obtida ao longo do processo de MMC pode ser armazenada em disco rígido, utilizando o formato xtc, para análise e visualização utilizando outros programas. O programa foi utilizado para calcular propriedades estruturais e termodinâmicas do líquido etanol no ensemble NpT a 1,0 atm e 298 K. Distâncias e ângulos de ligação das moléculas de etanol foram mantidos constantes, mas amostragem do ângulo diedral definido pelos átomos H-O-C-C foi efetuada. Para calcular a energia interna em função deste ângulo foram utilizados os métodos AM1, PM3 e MNDO implementados no programa MOPAC 6. Cálculos também foram efetuados utilizando energias obtidas com HF/6-31g*, MP2/6-31g* e B3LYP/6-31g*. Diferenças significativas foram observadas na distribuição dos ângulos diedrais na fase líquida. Entretanto, distribuições de energia para as interações de pares são muito semelhantes, o mesmo acontecendo com as distribuições radiais de pares. Resultados obtidos para a densidade e calor de vaporização do líquido estão em ótimo acordo com dados experimentais.

This paper presents a Metropolis Monte Carlo (MMC) computer program developed to simulate liquids and solutions including QM/MM facilities: the energy from intermolecular interactions is calculated with classical force field functions and the internal molecular energies are calculated using Quantum Chemistry methods. The following facilities were implemented: (i) the semiempirical MOPAC 6 quantum chemistry package was included as a subroutine of the main MMC simulation program; (ii) alternatively, an interface with an external data bank was developed to allow the use of energies previously obtained; (iii) calculation in NpT and NVT ensembles are available; (iv) the trajectory generated along the MMC sampling can be saved using standard xtc file format allowing trajectory visualization and data analysis using external programs. The program was used to calculate thermodynamical and structural properties of liquids ethanol (ET) in the NpT ensemble at 1.0 atm and 298 K. Bond angles and bond distances of ethanol molecules were kept constant but torsions along the dihedral angle defined by the H-O-C-C atoms were sampled in the simulation. QM/MM calculations were performed using the MOPAC AM1, PM3 and MNDO Hamiltonians to calculate the internal molecular energy. Calculations using internal energies obtained with OPLS-AA force field, ab initio HF/6-31g*, MP2/6-31g* and B3LYP/6-31g* calculations were performed. The dihedral angles distributions obtained with different methodologies reveal extraordinary qualitative and quantitative differences. However, the pair energies and radial distributions functions obtained with the different methodologies are in good agreement. The values calculated for the density and enthalpy of vaporization of liquid ethanol are in good agreement with experimental data.

Neste trabalho, propriedades de hidratação do íon Al3+ são investigadas por simulações mecânico-estatísticas de Monte Carlo no ensemble NpT a 298,15 K e 1 atm usando um modelo de potencial efetivo de pares íon-água cujos parâmetros foram desenvolvidos por meio de busca empírica no espaço de fase configuracional durante o curso das simulações para reproduzir dados experimentais da estrutura da primeira camada de hidratação. Resultados estruturais obtidos a partir das simulações para números de coordenação e distâncias íon-oxigênio da água, correspondentes às camadas de hidratação primeira e segunda, estão em muito bom acordo com dados experimentais. A entalpia de hidratação predita a partir deste modelo também está em muito bom acordo com resultados experimentais e é bastante similar ao resultado obtido por Wasserman et al. a partir do modelo de íon hidratado. Contribuições de muitos corpos investigadas para um cluster [Al(H2O)6]3+ usando a teoria do funcional de densidade em cálculos mecânico-quânticos de primeiros princípios fornecem suporte à efetividade do potencial de pares íon-água desenvolvido quanto aos efeitos de muitos corpos incorporado nos parâmetros ajustados.

In this work, hydration properties of Al3+ ion are investigated by statistical mechanics Monte Carlo simulations in the NpT ensemble at 298.15 K and 1 atm using an effective ion-water potential model whose parameters were developed through empirical search in configurational energy space during the course of simulations to fitting structural experimental data of the first hydration shell. Computed structural results for coordination numbers and ion-water oxygen distances for both first and second coordination shells are obtained in very good agreement with experimental observations. The hydration enthalpy predicted from this simple model is also in very good agreement with experimental values and it is quite similar to the one obtained by Wasserman et al. from the hydrated ion model. Many-body contributions investigated for an [Al(H2O)6]3+ cluster using the density functional theory in ab initio quantum mechanical calculations provide support to the effectiveness of the ion-water pair potential developed concerning many-body effects of water molecules around the ion incorporated in the fitted parameters.

We have performed a series of 10 ns Molecular Dynamics simulations of the sodium octanoate micelle in aqueous solution in the constant NpT ensemble, at p = 1 bar and T = 300 K. Two molecular topologies were studied, one with all internal degrees of freedom and the other constraining bond stretching and angle bending degrees of freedom. Two Lennard-Jones parameters for sodium ions, namely the OPLS and ° Aqvist parameters, were used. The results show an artificial enhancement of stable sodium bridges between octanoate anions when the OPLS parameters for sodium are used. The ° Aqvist parameters give a micellar structure in good agreement with experimental and thermodynamical evidences. It is also observed that the aggregation of monomers is strongly dependent on the molecular topology. When the ° Aqvist parameters were employed, the model system without constraining geometry had one dissociated monomer after 10 ns, while the model system with bond length and bond angle constraining had five dissociated monomers after a 10 ns trajectory.

Thermodynamic properties and radial distribution functions for liquid chloroform were calculated using the Monte Carlo method implemented with Metropolis algorithm in the NpT ensemble at 298 K and 1 atm. A five site model was developed to represent the chloroform molecules. A force field composed by Lennard-Jones and Coulomb potential functions was used to calculate the intermolecular energy. The partial charges needed to represent the Coulombic interactions were obtained from quantum chemical ab initio calculations. The Lennard-Jones parameters were adjusted to reproduce experimental values for density and enthalpy of vaporization for pure liquid. All thermodynamic results are in excelent agreement with experimental data. The correlation functions calculated are in good accordance with theoretical results avaliable in the literature. The free energy for solvating one chloroform molecule into its own liquid at 298 K and 1 atm was computed as an additional test of the potential model. The result obtained compares well with the experimental value. The medium effects on cis/trans convertion of a hypotetical solute in water TIP4P and chloroform solvents were also accomplished. The results obtained from this investigation are in agreement with estimates of the continuous theory of solvation.

A résumé of the evolution of quantum chemistry methodologies is presented. The pioneering contributions of John A. Pople and Water Kohn, the 1998 Nobel Prize Laureates in Chemistry, to the development of quantum chemistry computational methods for studying the properties of molecules and their interaction is discussed.

Statistical mechanics Monte Carlo simulation is reviewed as a formalism to study thermodynamic properties of liquids. Considering the importance of free energy changes in chemical processes, the thermodynamic perturbation theory implemented in the Monte Carlo method is discussed. The representation of molecular interaction by the Lennard-Jones and Coulomb potential functions is also discussed. Charges derived from quantum molecular electrostatic potential are also discussed as an useful methodology to generate an adequate set of partial charges to be used in liquid simulation.