New QSPR Models to Predict the Flammability of Binary Liquid Mixtures

QSPR models to predict the physical hazards of mixtures: a state of art

Physical hazards of chemical mixtures, associated for example with their fire or explosion risks, are generally characterized using experimental tools. These tests can be expensive, complex, long to perform and even dangerous for operators. Therefore, for several years and especially with the implementation of the REACH regulation, predictive methods like quantitative structure-property relationships have been encouraged as alternatives tests to determine (eco)toxicological but also physical hazards of chemical substances. Initially, these approaches were intended for pure products, by considering a molecular similarity principle. However, additional to those for pure products, QSPR models for mixtures recently appeared and represent an increasing field of research. This study proposes a state of the art of existing QSPR models specifically dedicated to the prediction of the physical hazards of mixtures. Identified models have been analysed on the key elements of model development (experimental data and fields of application, descriptors used, development and validation methods). It draws up an overview of the potential and limitations of current models as well as areas of progress towards enlarged deployment as a complement to experimental characterizations, for example in the search for safer substances (according to safety-by-design concepts).

Chemoinformatics for the Safety of Energetic and Reactive Materials at Ineris

The characterization of physical hazards of substances is a key information to manage the risks associated to their use, storage and transport. With decades of work in this area, Ineris develops and implements cutting-edge experimental facilities allowing such characterizations at different scales and under various conditions to study all of the dreaded accident scenarios. This review presents the efforts engaged by Ineris more recently in the field of chemoinformatics to develop and use new predictive methods for the anticipation and management of industrials risks associated to energetic and reactive materials as a complement to experiments. An overview of the methods used for the development of Quantitative Structure-Property Relationships for physical hazards are presented and discussed regarding the specificities associated to this class of properties. A review of models developed at Ineris is also provided from the first tentative models on the explosivity of nitro compounds to the successful application to the flammability of organic mixtures. Then, a discussion is proposed on the use of QSPR models. Good practices for robust use for QSPR models are recalled with specific comments related to physical hazards, notably for regulatory purpose. Dissemination and training efforts engaged by Ineris are also presented. The potential offered by these predictive methods in terms of in silico design and for the development of new intrinsically safer technologies in safety-by-design strategies is finally discussed. At last, challenges and perspectives to extend the application of chemoinformatics in the field of safety and in particular for the physical hazards of energetic and reactive substances are proposed.

Deep Neural Networks for Multicomponent Molecular Systems

Deep neural networks (DNNs) represent promising approaches to molecular machine learning (ML). However, their applicability remains limited to single-component materials and a general DNN model capable of handling various multicomponent molecular systems with composition data is still elusive, while current ML approaches for multicomponent molecular systems are still molecular descriptor-based. Here, a general DNN architecture extending existing molecular DNN models to multicomponent systems called MEIA is proposed. Case studies showed that the MEIA architecture could extend two exiting molecular DNN models to multicomponent systems with the same procedure, and that the obtained models that could learn both the molecular structure and composition information with equal or better accuracies compared to a well-used molecular descriptor-based model in the best model for each case study. Furthermore, the case studies also showed that, for ML tasks where the molecular structure information plays a minor role, the performance improvements by DNN models were small; while for ML tasks where the molecular structure information plays a major role, the performance improvements by DNN models were large, and DNN models showed notable predictive accuracies for an extremely sparse dataset, which cannot be modeled without the molecular structure information. The enhanced predictive ability of DNN models for sparse datasets of multicomponent systems will extend the applicability of ML in the multicomponent material design. Furthermore, the general capability of MEIA to extend DNN models to multicomponent systems will provide new opportunities to utilize the progress of actively developed single-component DNNs for the modeling of multicomponent systems.

Ontological model of multi-agent Smart-system for predicting drug properties based on modified algorithms of artificial immune systems

BACKGROUND

Currently, due to the huge progress in the field of information technologies and computer equipment, it is important to use modern approaches of artificial intelligence in order to process extensive chemical information at creating new drugs with desired properties. The interdisciplinary of research creates additional difficulties in creating new drugs. Currently, there are no universal algorithms and software for predicting the "structure-property" dependence of drug compounds that can take into account the needs of specialists in this field. In this regard, the development of a modern Smart-system based on the promising bio-inspired approach of artificial immune systems for predicting the structure-property dependence of drug compounds is relevant. The aim of this work is to develop a multi-agent Smart-system for predicting the "structure-property" dependence of drug compounds using the ontological approach and modified algorithms of artificial immune systems using the example of drug compounds of the sulfonamide group. The proposed system makes it possible to increase the accuracy of prediction models of the "structure-property" dependence, to reduce the time and financial costs for obtaining candidate drug compounds.

METHODS

During the creation of a Smart-system, there are used multi-agent and ontological approaches, which allow to structure input and output data, optimally to distribute computing resources and to coordinate the work of the system. As a promising approach for processing a large amount of chemical information, extracting informative descriptors and for the creation of an optimal data set, as well as further predicting the properties of medicinal compounds, there are considered modified algorithms of artificial immune systems and various algorithms of artificial intelligence.

RESULTS

There was developed an ontological model of a multi-agent Smart-system. There are presented the results of the «structure-property» dependence simulation based on a modified grey wolf optimization algorithm and artificial immune systems. During the simulation, there was used information from the Mol-Instincts sulfonamide descriptor database.

CONCLUSION

The developed multi-agent Smart-system using ontological models allows visually to present the structure and interrelationships of agents functioning, which greatly facilitates the development of software and reduces time and financial costs during the development of new drugs.

The index of ideality of correlation: models of the flash points of ternary mixtures

Reliable information related to the flash point of ternary mixtures assists in the rational classification of different ternary mixtures of liquids.