Link atoms, semiempirical molecular

Another approach to treating the boundary between covalently bonded QM and MM systems is the connection atom method,119 120 in which rather than a link atom, a monovalent pseudoatom is used. This connection atom is parameterized to give the correct behavior of the partitioned covalent bond. The connection atoms interact with the other QM atoms as a (specifically parameterized) QM atom, and with the other MM atoms as a standard carbon atom. This avoids the problem of a supplementary atom in the system, as the connection atom and the classical frontier atom are unified. However, the need to reparameterize for each type of covalent bond at a given level of quantum chemical theory is a laborious task.121 The connection atom method has been implemented for semiempirical molecular orbital (AMI and PM3)119 and density functional theory120 levels of theory. Tests carried out by Antes and Thiel to validate the connection atom method at the semiempirical level suggested that the connection atom approach is more accurate than the standard link atom approach.119... 

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