Theoretical Studies of the Hydrated Electron, Excess Electrons Interacting with Water and Methanol Clusters, and of Biomolecule Energy Landscapes

匹兹堡大学的Kenneth Jordan获得了理论和计算化学项目的一项奖励，用于研究开发理解水合电子和柔性生物分子的理论方法。 这项工作正在增强对氢键溶剂中过量电子行为的理解，以及弱相互作用对生物分子和石墨表面水性质的作用。许多重要的化学和生物过程，包括光合作用中的电化学过程和电子转移，都是由水存在下的过量电子驱动的。尽管有大量的实验和理论研究的水合电子和多余的电子连接到水簇，这些物种的结构和动力学的全面了解是缺乏的。约旦小组正在进行的理论研究采用了最先进的电子-水和水-水势来模拟比过去可能的更大尺寸的带负电荷的水团簇。 这项工作还包括两个项目，以促进弱相互作用领域的知识。其中第一个涉及表征β二肽和三肽的构象势能景观，而第二个涉及描述水单体和石墨表面之间的相互作用的准确电位的发展。该项目的最终目标是使用新开发的精确力场在石墨表面和碳纳米管中模拟水。 这项工作对许多科学领域产生了更广泛的影响，其影响通过PI与Telluride中心的广泛教育和推广活动进一步扩大。

Kenneth Jordan of the University of Pittsburgh is supported by an award from the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry program for research to develop theoretical methods for understanding hydrated electrons and flexible biomolecules. The work is producing an enhanced understanding of the behavior of excess electrons in hydrogen-bonding solvents and of the role of weak interactions on the properties of biomolecules and of water on graphitic surfaces. Many important chemical and biological processes, including electrochemical processes and electron transfer in photosynthesis, are driven by excess electrons in the presence of water. Despite the large number of experimental and theoretical studies of the hydrated electron and of the excess electron attached to water clusters, a comprehensive understanding of the structures and dynamics of these species is lacking. The theoretical studies being carried out by the Jordan group employ state-of-the-art electron-water and water-water potentials to simulate negatively-charged water clusters of a larger size than has been possible in the past. The work also includes two projects that advance knowledge in the area of weak interactions. The first of these involves characterizing the conformational potential energy landscape of beta dipeptides and tripeptides, while the second involves the development of accurate potentials describing the interaction between a water monomer and the graphite surface. The ultimate goal of this project is to perform simulations of water on graphite surfaces and confined in carbon nanotubes using the newly developed, accurate force fields. The work is having a broader impact on many fields of science and its impact is further broadened through the PI's extensive educational and outreach activities with the Telluride Center.