Density functional theory force fields

Stephens, P. J., Devlin, J. F., Chabalowski, C. F., Frisch, M. J, 1994, Ab Initio Calculations of Vibrational Absorption and Circular Dichroism Spectra Using SCF, MP2, and Density Functional Theory Force Fields , J. Phys. 

Equation (4-5) can be directly utilized in statistical mechanical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations by choosing an appropriate QM model, balancing computational efficiency and accuracy, and MM force fields for biomacromolecules and the solvent water. Our group has extensively explored various QM/MM methods using different quantum models, ranging from semiempirical methods to ab initio molecular orbital and valence bond theories to density functional theory, applied to a wide range of applications in chemistry and biology. Some of these studies have been discussed before and they are not emphasized in this article. We focus on developments that have not been often discussed. 

Figure 5. Normal modes for vibration of tetrahedral [Cr04] (chromate). There are four distinct vibrational frequencies, including one doubly-degenerate vibration (E symmetry) and two triply-degenerate vibrations (F2 symmetry), for a total of nine vibrational modes. Arrows show the characteristic motions of each atom during vibration, and the length of each arrow is proportional to the magnitude of atomic motion. Only F2 modes involve motion of the central chromium atom, and as a result their vibrational frequencies are affected by Cr-isotope substitution. The normal modes shown here were calculated with an ab initio quantum mechanical model, using hybrid Hartree-Fock/Density Functional Theory (B3LYP) and the 6-31G(d) basis set—other ab initio and empirical force-field models give very similar results.

Berces, A., Ziegler, T. Application of Density Functional Theory to the Calculation of Force Fields and Vibrational Frequencies of Transition Metal Complexes. 182, 41-85 (1996). Bersier, J., see Bersier, P.M. 170, 113-228 (1994). 

Hypercube, Inc. at http //www.hyper.com offers molecular modeling packages under the HyperChem name. HyperChem s newest version, Hyper-Chem Release 7.5, is a full 32-bit application, developed for the Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, and XP operating systems. Density Functional Theory (DFT) has been added as a basic computational engine to complement Molecular Mechanics, Semiempirical Quantum Mechanics and ab initio Quantum Mechanics. The DFT engine includes four combination or hybrid functions, such as the popular B3-LYP or Becke-97 methods. The Bio+ force field in HyperChem represents a version of the Chemistry at HARvard using Molecular Mechanics (CHARMM) force field. Release 7.5 of HyperChem updates... 

Vibrational frequencies of 1,4-benzodioxin using the density functional theory (DFT) method, as well as the conventional HF and MM3 force-field methods, were calculated to evaluate the frequency prediction capability of each computational method and get a better understanding of the vibrational spectra . 

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