We present an all-atom additive empirical force field for the hexopyranose monosaccharide form of glucose and its diastereomers allose, altrose, galactose, gulose, idose, mannose, and talose. The model is developed to be consistent with the CHARMM all-atom biomolecular force fields, and the same parameters are used for all diastereomers, including both the α-and β-anomers of each monosaccharide. The force field is developed in a hierarchical manner and reproduces the gas-phase and condensed-phase properties of small-molecule model compounds corresponding to fragments of pyranose monosaccharides. The resultant parameters are transferred to the full pyranose monosaccharides and additional parameter development is done to achieve a complete hexopyranose monosaccharide force field. Parametrization target data include vibrational frequencies, crystal geometries, solute -water interaction energies, molecular volumes, heats of vaporization, and conformational energies, including those for over 1800 monosaccharide conformations at the MP2/ cc-pVTZ//MP2/6-31G(d) level of theory. Though not targeted during parametrization, free energies of aqueous solvation for the model compounds compare favorably with experimental values. Also well-reproduced are monosaccharide crystal unit cell dimensions and ring pucker, densities of concentrated aqueous glucose systems, and the thermodynamic and dynamic properties of the exocyclic torsion in dilute aqueous systems. The new parameter set expands the CHARMM additive force field to allow for simulation of heterogeneous systems that include hexopyranose monosaccharides in addition to proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids.

Moving mechanical interfaces are commonly lubricated and separated by a combination of fluid films and solid 'tribofilms', which together ensure easy slippage and long wear life. The efficacy of the fluid film is governed by the viscosity of the base oil in the lubricant; the efficacy of the solid tribofilm, which is produced as a result of sliding contact between moving parts, relies upon the effectiveness of the lubricant's anti-wear additive (typically zinc dialkyldithiophosphate). Minimizing friction and wear continues to be a challenge, and recent efforts have focused on enhancing the anti-friction and anti-wear properties of lubricants by incorporating inorganic nanoparticles and ionic liquids. Here, we describe the in operando formation of carbon-based tribofilms via dissociative extraction from base-oil molecules on catalytically active, sliding nanometre-scale crystalline surfaces, enabling base oils to provide not only the fluid but also the solid tribofilm. We study nanocrystalline catalytic coatings composed of nitrides of either molybdenum or vanadium, containing either copper or nickel catalysts, respectively. Structurally, the resulting tribofilms are similar to diamond-like carbon. Ball-on-disk tests at contact pressures of 1.3 gigapascals reveal that these tribofilms nearly eliminate wear, and provide lower friction than tribofilms formed with zinc dialkyldithiophosphate. Reactive and ab initio molecular-dynamics simulations show that the catalytic action of the coatings facilitates dehydrogenation of linear olefins in the lubricating oil and random scission of their carbon-carbon backbones; the products recombine to nucleate and grow a compact, amorphous lubricating tribofilm.

An improved united-atom force field, based on a Lennard-Jones plus point charge functional form, for carboxylic acids is proposed. Point charges are determined from a Mulliken population analysis of ab initio calculations performed at the MP2 level of theory with the 6-31+g(d,p) basis set. The Lennard-Jones well depth and size parameters for the carboxyl carbon interaction site were determined by fitting to single-component vapor-liquid equilibrium data for acetic acid, while the remaining Lennard-Jones parameters were taken from the TraPPE-UA force field. Histogram-reweighting Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble were used to determine the vapor-liquid coexistence curves, vapor pressures, and critical points predicted by the new force field. The new force field was found to describe accurately the phase equilibria of acetic acid, with mean unsigned errors in the saturated liquid density of less than 1.6%. The critical temperature and density predicted by the new force field were within 1% of experimental values. Additional calculations were performed in the grand canonical and Gibbs ensembles to determine the coexistence properties predicted by the optimized potentials for liquid simulations united-atom (OPLS-UA), all-atom (OPLS-AA), and CHARMM force fields. Simulations in the isobaric-isothermal ensemble were used to determine selected radial distribution functions predicted by the four force fields at 300 K and 1 bar.

An extension of the transferable potentials for phase equilibria united-atom (TraPPE-UA) force field to thiol, sulfide, and disulfide functionalities and thiophene is presented. In the TraPPE-UA force field, nonbonded interactions are governed by a Lennard-Jones plus fixed point charge functional form. Partial charges are determined through a CHELPG analysis of electrostatic potential energy surfaces derived from ab initio calculations at the HF/6-31g+(d,p) level. The Lennard-Jones well depth and size parameters for four new interaction sites, S (thiols), S(sulfides), S(disulfides), and S(thiophene), were determined by fitting simulation data to pure-component vapor-equilibrium data for methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and thiophene, respectively. Configurational-bias Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble combined with histogram-reweighting methods were used to calculate the vapor-liquid coexistence curves for methanethiol, ethanethiol, 2-methyl-1-propanethiol, 2-methyl-2-propanethiol, 2-butanethiol, pentanethiol, octanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, diethyl sulfide, ethylmethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, diethyl disulfide, and thiophene. Excellent agreement with experiment is achieved, with unsigned errors of less than 1% for saturated liquid densities and less than 3% for critical temperatures. The normal boiling points were predicted to within 1% of experiment in most cases, although for certain molecules (pentanethiol) deviations as large as 5% were found. Additional calculations were performed to determine the pressure-composition behavior of ethanethiol+n-butane at 373.15 K and the temperature-composition behavior of 1-propanethiol+n-hexane at 1.01 bar. In each case, a good reproduction of experimental vapor-liquid equilibrium separation factors is achieved; both of the coexistence curves are somewhat shifted because of overprediction of the pure-component vapor pressures.