Falbo E, Fusè M, Lazzari F, Mancini G, Barone V. Integration of Quantum Chemistry, Statistical Mechanics, and Artificial Intelligence for Computational Spectroscopy: The UV-Vis Spectrum of TEMPO Radical in Different Solvents.
J Chem Theory Comput 2022;
18:6203-6216. [PMID:
36166322 PMCID:
PMC9558374 DOI:
10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00654]
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Abstract
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The ongoing integration of quantum chemistry, statistical
mechanics,
and artificial intelligence is paving the route toward more effective
and accurate strategies for the investigation of the spectroscopic
properties of medium-to-large size chromophores in condensed phases.
In this context we are developing a novel workflow aimed at improving
the generality, reliability, and ease of use of the available computational
tools. In this paper we report our latest developments with specific
reference to unsupervised atomistic simulations employing non periodic
boundary conditions (NPBC) followed by clustering of the trajectories
employing optimized feature spaces. Next accurate variational computations
are performed for a representative point of each cluster, whereas
intracluster fluctuations are taken into account by a cheap yet reliable
perturbative approach. A number of methodological improvements have
been introduced including, e.g., more realistic reaction field effects
at the outer boundary of the simulation sphere, automatic definition
of the feature space by continuous perception of solute–solvent
interactions, full account of polarization and charge transfer in
the first solvation shell, and inclusion of vibronic contributions.
After its validation, this new approach has been applied to the challenging
case of solvatochromic effects on the UV–vis spectra of a prototypical
nitroxide radical (TEMPO) in different solvents. The reliability,
effectiveness, and robustness of the new platform is demonstrated
by the remarkable agreement with experiment of the results obtained
through an unsupervised approach characterized by a strongly reduced
computational cost as compared to that of conventional quantum mechanics
and molecular mechanics models without any accuracy reduction.
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