Molecular Dynamics Using Simple Models

The first molecular dynamics simulation of a condensed phase system was performed by Alder and Wainwright in 1957 using a hard-sphere model [Alder and Wainwright 1957]. In this model, the spheres move at constant velocity in straight lines between collisions. All collisions are perfectly elastic and occur when the separation between the centres of 

Identify the next pair of spheres to collide and calculate when the collision will occur. 

Determine the new velocities of the two colliding spheres after the collision. 

The new velocities of the colliding spheres are calculated by applying the principle of conservation of linear momentum. 

Simple interaction models such as the hard-sphere potential obviously suffer from many deficiencies but have nevertheless provided many useful insights into the microscopic 

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The explicit definition of water molecules seems to be the best way to represent the bulk properties of the solvent correctly. If only a thin layer of explicitly defined solvent molecules is used (due to hmited computational resources), difficulties may rise to reproduce the bulk behavior of water, especially near the border with the vacuum. Even with the definition of a full solvent environment the results depend on the model used for this purpose. In the relative simple case of TIP3P and SPC, which are widely and successfully used, the atoms of the water molecule have fixed charges and fixed relative orientation. Even without internal motions and the charge polarization ability, TIP3P reproduces the bulk properties of water quite well. For a further discussion of other available solvent models, readers are referred to Chapter VII, Section 1.3.2 of the Handbook. Unfortunately, the more sophisticated the water models are (to reproduce the physical properties and thermodynamics of this outstanding solvent correctly), the more impractical they are for being used within molecular dynamics simulations. 

In some cases the atomic charges are chosen to reproduce thermodynamic properties calculated using a molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulation. A series of simulations is performed and the charge model is modified until satisfactory agreement with experiment is obtained. This approach can be quite powerful despite its apparent simplicity, but it is only really practical for small molecules or simple models. 

TIk experimentally determined dipole moment of a water molecule in the gas phase is 1.85 D. The dipole moment of an individual water molecule calculated with any of thv se simple models is significantly higher for example, the SPC dipole moment is 2.27 D and that for TIP4P is 2.18 D. These values are much closer to the effective dipole moment of liquid water, which is approximately 2.6 D. These models are thus all effective pairwise models. The simple water models are usually parametrised by calculating various pmperties using molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations and then modifying the... 

Empirical energy functions can fulfill the demands required by computational studies of biochemical and biophysical systems. The mathematical equations in empirical energy functions include relatively simple terms to describe the physical interactions that dictate the structure and dynamic properties of biological molecules. In addition, empirical force fields use atomistic models, in which atoms are the smallest particles in the system rather than the electrons and nuclei used in quantum mechanics. These two simplifications allow for the computational speed required to perform the required number of energy calculations on biomolecules in their environments to be attained, and, more important, via the use of properly optimized parameters in the mathematical models the required chemical accuracy can be achieved. The use of empirical energy functions was initially applied to small organic molecules, where it was referred to as molecular mechanics [4], and more recently to biological systems [2,3]. 

The lattice gas has been used as a model for a variety of physical and chemical systems. Its application to simple mixtures is routinely treated in textbooks on statistical mechanics, so it is natural to use it as a starting point for the modeling of liquid-liquid interfaces. In the simplest case the system contains two kinds of solvent particles that occupy positions on a lattice, and with an appropriate choice of the interaction parameters it separates into two phases. This simple version is mainly of didactical value [1], since molecular dynamics allows the study of much more realistic models of the interface between two pure liquids [2,3]. However, even with the fastest computers available today, molecular dynamics is limited to comparatively small ensembles, too small to contain more than a few ions, so that the space-charge regions cannot be included. In contrast, Monte Carlo simulations for the lattice gas can be performed with 10 to 10 particles, so that modeling of the space charge poses no problem. In addition, analytical methods such as the quasichemical approximation allow the treatment of infinite ensembles. 

Timm, Gilbert, Ko, and Simmons O) presented a dynamic model for an isothermal, continuous, well-mixed polystyrene reactor. This model was in turn based upon the kinetic model developed by Timm and co-workers (2-4) based on steady state data. The process was simulated using the model and a simple steady state optimization and decoupling algorithm was tested. The results showed that steady state decoupling was adequate for molecular weight control, but not for the control of production rate. In the latter case the transient fluctuations were excessive. 

We have reviewed above the GH approach to reaction rate constants in solution, together with simple models that give a deeper perspective on the reaction dynamics and various aspects of the generalized frictional influence on the rates. The fact that the theory has always been found to agree with Molecular Dynamics computer simulation results for realistic models of many and varied reaction types gives confidence that it may be used to analyze real experimental results. 

Following the early studies on the pure interface, chemical and electrochemical processes at the interface between two immiscible liquids have been studied using the molecular dynamics method. The most important processes for electrochemical research involve charge transfer reactions. Molecular dynamics computer simulations have been used to study the rate and the mechanism of ion transfer across the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface and of ion transfer across a simple model of a liquid/liquid interface, where a direct comparison of the rate with the prediction of simple diffusion models has been made. ° ° Charge transfer of several types has also been studied, including the calculations of free energy curves for electron transfer reactions at a model liquid/liquid... 

CAMD modeling has been used in this study to compare and partially to differentiate several postulated bituminous coal models based on their physical structures, minimum energies, and other characteristics. It is clear from the folding of the CAMD structures after molecular dynamics (especially in Figures 3c and 4c) that simple two-dimensional representations cannot adequately represent the structure of coal. Inter-cluster bonding has a powerful influence on coal structure when three-dimensional models are employed. 

In summary, the dynamical interactions among electrons give rise to instantaneous spatial correlations that must be handled to arrive at an accurate picture of atomic and molecular structure. The simple, single-configuration picture provided by the mean-field model is a useful starting point, but improvements are often needed. 

In this section, we discuss briefly how the Langevin equation, which is a stochastic equation, can be derived from the molecular equations of motion. The stochastic model described by the Langevin equation has been of great use in interpreting a large number of experiments and physical systems. The stochastic model is extremely simple but, as always, its ultimate justification rests on the molecular dynamical laws. 

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