Hybrid quantum mechanical and molecular mechanics study of the S(N)2 Reaction of CCl4 + OH- in aqueous solution: the potential of mean force, reaction energetics, and rate constants

Theoretical investigation of the SN2 mechanism of X- [X = SH, PH2] + CH3Y [Y = F, Cl, Br, I] reactions in water

We investigated the S_N2 Walden-inversion mechanism of X^- (X = SH, PH₂) + CH₃Y (Y = F, Cl, Br, I) reactions in water using multi-level quantum mechanics (ML-QM) and molecular mechanics (MM) methods. The potentials of the mean force were mapped using not only the density functional theory (DFT)/MM method but also a high-level, accurate CCSD(T)/MM method using the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set. In particular, for the PH₂^- + CH₃I reaction, although the backside attack Walden-inversion mechanics were not observed in the gas phase, we found that this mechanism takes place in water. The atomic-level dynamics of the concerted S_N2 mechanism and the stationary points along the reaction paths were characterized. For these reactions in water, their Walden-inversion barriers are higher than their corresponding ones in the gas phase, indicating that the aqueous solution hinders their reactivity. For the reactions with the same nucleophile X^- in water, the reaction barrier heights with different leaving groups are in the order of F > Cl > Br > I. For the same leaving group Y with different nucleophiles SH^- and PH₂^-, the reaction barrier with SH^- is greater than that of PH₂^- due to the former having higher electronegativity than the latter.

Catalytic Descriptors to Investigate Catalytic Power in the Reaction of Haloalkane Dehalogenase Enzyme with 1,2-Dichloroethane

Enzymes play a fundamental role in many biological processes. We present a theoretical approach to investigate the catalytic power of the haloalkane dehalogenase reaction with 1,2-dichloroethane. By removing the three main active-site residues one by one from haloalkane dehalogenase, we found two reactive descriptors: one descriptor is the distance difference between the breaking bond and the forming bond, and the other is the charge difference between the transition state and the reactant complex. Both descriptors scale linearly with the reactive barriers, with the three-residue case having the smallest barrier and the zero-residue case having the largest. The results demonstrate that, as the number of residues increases, the catalytic power increases. The predicted free energy barriers using the two descriptors of this reaction in water are 23.1 and 24.2 kcal/mol, both larger than the ones with any residues, indicating that the water solvent hinders the reactivity. Both predicted barrier heights agree well with the calculated one at 25.2 kcal/mol using a quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics approach, and also agree well with the experimental result at 26.0 kcal/mol. This study shows that reactive descriptors can also be used to describe and predict the catalytic performance for enzyme catalysis.

Hybrid Solvation Model with First Solvation Shell for Calculation of Solvation Free Energy

We present a hybrid solvation model with first solvation shell to calculate solvation free energies. This hybrid model combines the quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics methods with the analytical expression based on the Born solvation model to calculate solvation free energies. Based on calculated free energies of solvation and reaction profiles in gas phase, we set up a unified scheme to predict reaction profiles in solution. The predicted solvation free energies and reaction barriers are compared with experimental results for twenty bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reactions. These comparisons show that our hybrid solvation model can predict reliable solvation free energies and reaction barriers for chemical reactions of small molecules in aqueous solution.

Multilevel Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Mechanics Study of the Double-Inversion Mechanism at Nitrogen: F- + NH2Cl in Aqueous Solution

We employ a multilevel quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics method to investigate the double-inversion mechanism of the nucleophilic substitution reaction at the N center: the F^- + NH₂Cl reaction in aqueous solution. We find that the structures of the stationary points along the reaction path are quite different from the ones in the gas phase owing to the hydrogen-bond interactions between the solute and the surrounding water molecules. The atomic-level evolutions of the structures and charge transfer along the reaction path show that this double-inversion mechanism consists of an upside-down proton inversion process and a Walden-inversion process. The computed potential of mean force at the coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples (CCSD(T))/molecular mechanics (MM) level of theory has the two-inversion barrier heights, and reaction free energy at 11.7, 29.6, and 12.6 kcal/mol, agreeing well with the predicted ones at 12.6, 32.5, and 12.2 kcal/mol obtained on the basis of the gas-phase reaction path and the solvation free energies of the stationary points.

Catalytic Effect of Aqueous Solution in Water-Assisted Proton-Transfer Mechanism of 8-Hydroxy Guanine Radical

Water-assisted proton-transfer process is a key step in guanine damage reaction by hydroxyl radical in aqueous solution. In this article, we quantitatively determine the solvent effect in water-assisted proton-transfer mechanism of 8-hydroxy guanine radical using combined quantum mechanics and molecular mechanism with an explicit solvation model. Atomic-level reaction pathway was mapped, which shows a synchronized two-proton-transfer mechanism between the assistant water molecule and 8-hydroxy guanine radical. The transition-state dipole moment is the largest along the reaction pathway, which electrostatically stabilizes the proton-transfer transition-state complex. The free-energy reaction barrier for this water-assisted proton-transfer reaction was calculated at 19.2 kcal/mol with the density functional theory/M08-SO/cc-pVTZ+/molecular mechanics level of theory. The solvent effect not only has a big impact on geometries, but also dramatically changes the energetics along the reaction pathway. Among the solvent effect contributions to the transition state, the solvent energy contribution is -28.5 kcal/mol and the polarization effect contribution is 19.9 kcal/mol. In total, the solvent effect contributes -8.6 kcal/mol to the free-energy barrier height, which means that the presence of aqueous solution has a catalytic effect on the reaction mechanism and enhances the proton-transfer reactivity in aqueous solution.

A new, double-inversion mechanism of the F- + CH3Cl SN2 reaction in aqueous solution

Atomic-level, bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction mechanisms have been studied mostly in the gas phase, but the gas-phase results cannot be expected to reliably describe condensed-phase chemistry. As a novel, double-inversion mechanism has just been found for the F^- + CH₃Cl S_N2 reaction in the gas phase [Nat. Commun., 2015, 6, 5972], here, using multi-level quantum mechanics methods combined with the molecular mechanics method, we discovered a new, double-inversion mechanism for this reaction in aqueous solution. However, the structures of the stationary points along the reaction path show significant differences from those in the gas phase due to the strong influence of solvent and solute interactions, especially due to the hydrogen bonds formed between the solute and the solvent. More importantly, the relationship between the two double-inversion transition states is not clear in the gas phase, but, here we revealed a novel intermediate complex serving as a "connecting link" between the two transition states of the abstraction-induced inversion and the Walden-inversion mechanisms. A detailed reaction path was constructed to show the atomic-level evolution of this novel double reaction mechanism in aqueous solution. The potentials of mean force were calculated and the obtained Walden-inversion barrier height agrees well with the available experimental value.

Multilevel Quantum Mechanics Theories and Molecular Mechanics Calculations of the Cl- + CH3I Reaction in Water

The Cl^- + CH₃I → CH₃Cl + I^- reaction in water was studied using combined multilevel quantum mechanism theories and molecular mechanics with an explicit water solvent model. The study shows a significant influence of aqueous solution on the structures of the stationary points along the reaction pathway. A detailed, atomic-level evolution of the reaction mechanism shows a concerted one-bond-broken and one-bond-formed mechanism, as well as a synchronized charge-transfer process. The potentials of mean force calculated with the CCSD(T) and DFT treatments of the solute produce a free activation barrier at 24.5 and 19.0 kcal/mol, respectively, which agrees with the experimental one at 22.0 kcal/mol. The solvent effects have also been quantitatively analyzed: in total, the solvent effects raise the activation energy by 20.2 kcal/mol, which shows a significant impact on this reaction in water.

Multi-level Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Mechanics Study of Ring Opening Process of Guanine Damage by Hydroxyl Radical in Aqueous Solution

Combining multi-level quantum mechanics theories and molecular mechanics with an explicit water model, we investigated the ring opening process of guanine damage by hydroxyl radical in aqueous solution. The detailed, atomic-level ring-opening mechanism along the reaction pathway was revealed in aqueous solution at the CCSD(T)/MM levels of theory. The potentials of mean force in aqueous solution were calculated at both the DFT/MM and CCSD(T)/MM levels of the theory. Our study found that the aqueous solution has a significant effect on this reaction in solution. In particular, by comparing the geometries of the stationary points between in gas phase and in aqueous solution, we found that the aqueous solution has a tremendous impact on the torsion angles much more than on the bond lengths and bending angles. Our calculated free-energy barrier height 31.6 kcal/mol at the CCSD(T)/MM level of theory agrees well with the one obtained based on gas-phase reaction profile and free energies of solvation. In addition, the reaction path in gas phase was also mapped using multi-level quantum mechanics theories, which shows a reaction barrier at 19.2 kcal/mol at the CCSD(T) level of theory, agreeing very well with a recent ab initio calculation result at 20.8 kcal/mol.

Multi-level quantum mechanics theories and molecular mechanics study of the double-inversion mechanism of the F- + CH3I reaction in aqueous solution

A double-inversion mechanism of the F^- + CH₃I reaction was discovered in aqueous solution using combined multi-level quantum mechanics theories and molecular mechanics. The stationary points along the reaction path show very different structures to the ones in the gas phase due to the interactions between the solvent and solute, especially strong hydrogen bonds. An intermediate complex, a minimum on the potential of mean force, was found to serve as a connecting-link between the abstraction-induced inversion transition state and the Walden-inversion transition state. The potentials of mean force were calculated with both the DFT/MM and CCSD(T)/MM levels of theory. Our calculated free energy barrier of the abstraction-induced inversion is 69.5 kcal mol^-1 at the CCSD(T)/MM level of theory, which agrees with the one at 72.9 kcal mol^-1 calculated using the Born solvation model and gas-phase data; and our calculated free energy barrier of the Walden inversion is 24.2 kcal mol^-1, which agrees very well with the experimental value at 25.2 kcal mol^-1 in aqueous solution. The calculations show that the aqueous solution makes significant contributions to the potentials of mean force and exerts a big impact on the molecular-level evolution along the reaction pathway.

Revisiting the Dielectric Constant Effect on the Nucleophile and Leaving Group of Prototypical Backside SN2 Reactions: A Reaction Force and Atomic Contribution Analysis

The solvent effect on the nucleophile and leaving group atoms of the prototypical F^- + CH₃Cl → CH₃F + Cl^- backside bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction (S_N2) is analyzed employing the reaction force and the atomic contributions methods on the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC). Solvent effects were accounted for using the polarizable continuum solvent model. Calculations were performed employing 11 dielectric constants, ε, ranging from 1.0 to 78.5, to cover a wide spectrum of solvents. The reaction force data reveal that the solvent mainly influences the region of the IRC preceding the energy barrier, where the structural rearrangement to reach the transition state occurs. A detailed analysis of the atomic role in the reaction as a function of ε reveals that the nucleophile and the carbon atom are the ones that contribute the most to the energy barrier. In addition, we investigated the effect of the choice of nucleophile and leaving group on the ΔE₀ and ΔE^‡ of Y^- + CH₃X → YCH₃ + X^- (X, Y = F, Cl, Br, I) in aqueous solution. Our analysis allowed us to find relationships between the atomic contributions to the activation energy and leaving group ability and nucleophilicity.

A multi-level quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics study of SN2 reaction at nitrogen: NH2Cl + OH(-) in aqueous solution

We employed a multi-level quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics approach to study the reaction NH2Cl + OH(-) in aqueous solution. The multi-level quantum method (including the DFT method with both the B3LYP and M06-2X exchange-correlation functionals and the CCSD(T) method, and both methods with the aug-cc-pVDZ basis set) was used to treat the quantum reaction region in different stages of the calculation in order to obtain an accurate potential of mean force. The obtained free energy activation barriers at the DFT/MM level of theory yielded a big difference of 21.8 kcal mol(-1) with the B3LYP functional and 27.4 kcal mol(-1) with the M06-2X functional respectively. Nonetheless, the barrier heights become very close when shifted from DFT to CCSD(T): 22.4 kcal mol(-1) and 22.9 kcal mol(-1) at CCSD(T)(B3LYP)/MM and CCSD(T)(M06-2X)/MM levels of theory, respectively. The free reaction energy obtained using CCSD(T)(M06-2X)/MM shows an excellent agreement with the one calculated using the available gas-phase data. Aqueous solution plays a significant role in shaping the reaction profile. In total, the water solution contributes 13.3 kcal mol(-1) and 14.6 kcal mol(-1) to the free energy barrier heights at CCSD(T)(B3LYP)/MM and CCSD(T)(M06-2X)/MM respectively. The title reaction at nitrogen is a faster reaction than the corresponding reaction at carbon, CH3Cl + OH(-).

Investigation of the CH3Cl + CN(-) reaction in water: Multilevel quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study

The CH3Cl + CN(-) reaction in water was studied using a multilevel quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (MM) method with the multilevels, electrostatic potential, density functional theory (DFT) and coupled-cluster single double triple (CCSD(T)), for the solute region. The detailed, back-side attack SN2 reaction mechanism was mapped along the reaction pathway. The potentials of mean force were calculated under both the DFT and CCSD(T) levels for the reaction region. The CCSD(T)/MM level of theory presents a free energy activation barrier height at 20.3 kcal/mol, which agrees very well with the experiment value at 21.6 kcal/mol. The results show that the aqueous solution has a dominant role in shaping the potential of mean force. The solvation effect and the polarization effect together increase the activation barrier height by ∼11.4 kcal/mol: the solvation effect plays a major role by providing about 75% of the contribution, while polarization effect only contributes 25% to the activation barrier height. Our calculated potential of mean force under the CCSD(T)/MM also has a good agreement with the one estimated using data from previous gas-phase studies.

Solvent effects and potential of mean force: a multilayered-representation quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics study of the CH3Br + CN− reaction in aqueous solution

The potential of mean force for the CH₃Br + CN⁻ reaction was obtained at the CCSD(T)/MM level of theory using a multilayered-representation quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics approach, as well as the reactant, transition state and product complexes along the reaction pathway in aqueous solution.

A multilayered-representation quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics study of the S(N)2 reaction of CH3Br + OH(-) in aqueous solution

The bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (S(N)2) reaction of CH(3)Br and OH(-) in aqueous solution was investigated using a multilayered-representation quantum mechanical and molecular mechanics methodology. Reactant complex, transition state, and product complex are identified and characterized in aqueous solution. The potentials of mean force are computed under both the density function theory and coupled-cluster single double (triple) (CCSD(T)) levels of theory for the reaction region. The results show that the aqueous environment has a significant impact on the reaction process. The solvation effect and the polarization effect combined raise the activation barrier height by ~16.2 kcal/mol and the solvation effect is the dominant contribution to the potential of mean force. The CCSD(T)/MM representation presents a free energy activation barrier height of 22.8 kcal/mol and the rate constant at 298 K of 3.7 × 10(-25) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) which agree very well with the experiment values at 23.0 kcal/mol and 2.6 × 10(-25) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively.

Exploring, refining, and validating the paradynamics QM/MM sampling

The performance of the paradynamics (PD) reference potential approach in QM/MM calculations is examined. It is also clarified that, in contrast to some possible misunderstandings, this approach provides a rigorous strategy for QM/MM free energy calculations. In particular, the PD approach provides a gradual and controlled way of improving the evaluation of the free energy perturbation associated with moving from the EVB reference potential to the target QM/MM surface. This is achieved by moving from the linear response approximation to the full free energy perturbation approach in evaluating the free energy changes. We also present a systematic way of improving the reference potential by using Gaussian-based correction potentials along a reaction coordinate. In parallel, we review other recent adaptations of the reference potential approach, emphasizing and demonstrating the advantage of using the EVB potential as a reference potential, relative to semiempirical QM/MM molecular orbital potentials. We also compare the PD results to those obtained by direct calculations of the potentials of the mean force (PMF). Additionally, we propose a way of accelerating the PMF calculations by using Gaussian-based negative potentials along the reaction coordinate (which are also used in the PD refinement). Finally, we discuss performance of the PD and the metadynamics approaches in ab initio QM/MM calculations and emphasize the advantage of using the PD approach.