Nonpolar Solvation Free Energy from Proximal Distribution Functions

Shu Ching Ou, Justin A. Drake, B. Montgomery Pettitt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using precomputed near neighbor or proximal distribution functions (pDFs) that approximate solvent density about atoms in a chemically bonded context one can estimate the solvation structures around complex solutes and the corresponding solute-solvent energetics. In this contribution, we extend this technique to calculate the solvation free energies (ΔG) of a variety of solutes. In particular we use pDFs computed for small peptide molecules to estimate ΔG for larger peptide systems. We separately compute the non polar (ΔGvdW) and electrostatic (ΔGelec) components of the underlying potential model. Here we show how the former can be estimated by thermodynamic integration using pDF-reconstructed solute-solvent interaction energy. The electrostatic component can be approximated with Linear Response theory as half of the electrostatic solute-solvent interaction energy. We test the method by calculating the solvation free energies of butane, propanol, polyalanine, and polyglycine and by comparing with traditional free energy simulations. Results indicate that the pDF-reconstruction algorithm approximately reproduces ΔGvdW calculated by benchmark free energy simulations to within ∼ kcal/mol accuracy. The use of transferable pDFs for each solute atom allows for a rapid estimation of ΔG for arbitrary molecular systems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3555-3564
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry B
Volume121
Issue number15
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 20 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Materials Chemistry

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