Paul von R. Schleyer

Bio: Paul von R. Schleyer is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Encyclopedia. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 2512 citations.

A consistent and accurate ab initio parametrization of density functional dispersion correction (DFT-D) for the 94 elements H-Pu

Abstract: The method of dispersion correction as an add-on to standard Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT-D) has been refined regarding higher accuracy, broader range of applicability, and less empiricism. The main new ingredients are atom-pairwise specific dispersion coefficients and cutoff radii that are both computed from first principles. The coefficients for new eighth-order dispersion terms are computed using established recursion relations. System (geometry) dependent information is used for the first time in a DFT-D type approach by employing the new concept of fractional coordination numbers (CN). They are used to interpolate between dispersion coefficients of atoms in different chemical environments. The method only requires adjustment of two global parameters for each density functional, is asymptotically exact for a gas of weakly interacting neutral atoms, and easily allows the computation of atomic forces. Three-body nonadditivity terms are considered. The method has been assessed on standard benchmark sets for inter- and intramolecular noncovalent interactions with a particular emphasis on a consistent description of light and heavy element systems. The mean absolute deviations for the S22 benchmark set of noncovalent interactions for 11 standard density functionals decrease by 15%-40% compared to the previous (already accurate) DFT-D version. Spectacular improvements are found for a tripeptide-folding model and all tested metallic systems. The rectification of the long-range behavior and the use of more accurate C(6) coefficients also lead to a much better description of large (infinite) systems as shown for graphene sheets and the adsorption of benzene on an Ag(111) surface. For graphene it is found that the inclusion of three-body terms substantially (by about 10%) weakens the interlayer binding. We propose the revised DFT-D method as a general tool for the computation of the dispersion energy in molecules and solids of any kind with DFT and related (low-cost) electronic structure methods for large systems.

Development and testing of a general amber force field.

Abstract: We describe here a general Amber force field (GAFF) for organic molecules. GAFF is designed to be compatible with existing Amber force fields for proteins and nucleic acids, and has parameters for most organic and pharmaceutical molecules that are composed of H, C, N, O, S, P, and halogens. It uses a simple functional form and a limited number of atom types, but incorporates both empirical and heuristic models to estimate force constants and partial atomic charges. The performance of GAFF in test cases is encouraging. In test I, 74 crystallographic structures were compared to GAFF minimized structures, with a root-mean-square displacement of 0.26 A, which is comparable to that of the Tripos 5.2 force field (0.25 A) and better than those of MMFF 94 and CHARMm (0.47 and 0.44 A, respectively). In test II, gas phase minimizations were performed on 22 nucleic acid base pairs, and the minimized structures and intermolecular energies were compared to MP2/6-31G* results. The RMS of displacements and relative energies were 0.25 A and 1.2 kcal/mol, respectively. These data are comparable to results from Parm99/RESP (0.16 A and 1.18 kcal/mol, respectively), which were parameterized to these base pairs. Test III looked at the relative energies of 71 conformational pairs that were used in development of the Parm99 force field. The RMS error in relative energies (compared to experiment) is about 0.5 kcal/mol. GAFF can be applied to wide range of molecules in an automatic fashion, making it suitable for rational drug design and database searching.

A biomolecular force field based on the free enthalpy of hydration and solvation: the GROMOS force-field parameter sets 53A5 and 53A6.

Abstract: Successive parameterizations of the GROMOS force field have been used successfully to simulate biomolecular systems over a long period of time. The continuing expansion of computational power with time makes it possible to compute ever more properties for an increasing variety of molecular systems with greater precision. This has led to recurrent parameterizations of the GROMOS force field all aimed at achieving better agreement with experimental data. Here we report the results of the latest, extensive reparameterization of the GROMOS force field. In contrast to the parameterization of other biomolecular force fields, this parameterization of the GROMOS force field is based primarily on reproducing the free enthalpies of hydration and apolar solvation for a range of compounds. This approach was chosen because the relative free enthalpy of solvation between polar and apolar environments is a key property in many biomolecular processes of interest, such as protein folding, biomolecular association, membrane formation, and transport over membranes. The newest parameter sets, 53A5 and 53A6, were optimized by first fitting to reproduce the thermodynamic properties of pure liquids of a range of small polar molecules and the solvation free enthalpies of amino acid analogs in cyclohexane (53A5). The partial charges were then adjusted to reproduce the hydration free enthalpies in water (53A6). Both parameter sets are fully documented, and the differences between these and previous parameter sets are discussed.

A five-site model for liquid water and the reproduction of the density anomaly by rigid, nonpolarizable potential functions

Abstract: The ability of simple potential functions to reproduce accurately the density of liquid water from −37 to 100 °C at 1 to 10 000 atm has been further explored. The result is the five-site TIP5P model, which yields significantly improved results; the average error in the density over the 100° temperature range from −37.5 to 62.5 °C at 1 atm is only 0.006 g cm−3. Classical Monte Carlo statistical mechanics calculations have been performed to optimize the parameters, especially the position of the negative charges along the lone-pair directions. Initial calculations with 216 molecules in the NPT ensemble at 1 atm focused on finding a model that reproduced the shape of the liquid density curve as a function of temperature. Calculations performed for 512 molecules with the final TIP5P model demonstrate that the density maximum near 4 °C at 1 atm is reproduced, while high-quality structural and thermodynamic results are maintained. Attainment of high precision for the low-temperature runs required sampling for more than 1 billion Monte Carlo configurations. In addition, the dielectric constant was computed from the response to an applied electric field; the result is 81.5±1.5 at 25 °C and the experimental curve is mirrored from 0–100 °C at 1 atm. The TIP5P model is also found to perform well as a function of pressure; the density of liquid water at 25 °C is reproduced with an average error of ∼2% over the range from 1 to 10 000 atm, and the shift of the temperature of maximum density to lower temperature with increasing pressure is also obtained.