Prediction techniques potential energy models

Molecular Simulations Molecular simulations are useful for predicting properties of bulk fluids and solids. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations solve Newton s equations of motion for a small number (on the order of 10 ) of molecules to obtain the time evolution of the system. MD methods can be used for equilibrium and transport properties. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations use a model for the potential energy between molecules to simulate configurations of the molecules in proportion to their probability of occurrence. Statistical averages of MC configurations are useful for equilibrium properties, particularly for saturated densities, vapor pressures, etc. Property estimations using molecular simulation techniques are not illustrated in the remainder of this section as commercial software implementations are not generally available at this time. 

Pulsed source techniques have been used to study thermal energy ion-molecule reactions. For most of the proton and H atom transfer reactions studied k thermal) /k 10.5 volts /cm.) is approximately unity in apparent agreement with predictions from the simple ion-induced dipole model. However, the rate constants calculated on this basis are considerably higher than the experimental rate constants indicating reaction channels other than the atom transfer process. Thus, in some cases at least, the relationship of k thermal) to k 10.5 volts/cm.) may be determined by the variation of the relative importance of the atom transfer process with ion energy rather than by the interaction potential between the ion and the neutral. For most of the condensation ion-molecule reactions studied k thermal) is considerably greater than k 10.5 volts/cm.). 

---