Free Energy Calculations

Free energy constitutes the most important thermodynamic quantity to understand how chemical species recognize each other, associate or react. Examples of problems in which knowledge of the underlying free energy behaviour is required, include conformational equilibria and molecular association, partitioning between immiscible liquids, receptor-drug interaction, protein-protein and protein-DNA association, and protein stability. This volume sets out to present a coherent and comprehensive account of the concepts that underlie different approaches devised for the determination of free energies. The reader will gain the necessary insight into the theoretical and computational foundations of the subject and will be presented with relevant applications from molecular-level modelling and simulations of chemical and biological systems. Both formally accurate and approximate methods are covered using both classical and quantum mechanical descriptions. A central theme of the book is that the wide variety of free energy calculation techniques available today can be understood as different implementations of a few basic principles. The book is aimed at a broad readership of graduate students and researchers having a background in chemistry, physics, engineering and physical biology.

This monograph provides a general introduction to advanced computational methods for free energy calculations, from the systematic and rigorous point of view of applied mathematics. Free energy calculations in molecular dynamics have become an outstanding and increasingly broad computational field in physics, chemistry and molecular biology within the past few years, by making possible the analysis of complex molecular systems. This work proposes a new, general and rigorous presentation, intended both for practitioners interested in a mathematical treatment, and for applied mathematicians interested in molecular dynamics.

This volume offers a coherent account of the concepts that underlie different approaches devised for the determination of free energies. It provides insight into the theoretical and computational foundations of the subject and presents relevant applications from molecular-level modeling and simulations of chemical and biological systems. The book is aimed at a broad readership of graduate students and researchers.

Chemistry 2e is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the two-semester general chemistry course. The textbook provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of chemistry and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. The book also includes a number of innovative features, including interactive exercises and real-world applications, designed to enhance student learning. The second edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Substantial improvements have been made in the figures, illustrations, and example exercises that support the text narrative. Changes made in Chemistry 2e are described in the preface to help instructors transition to the second edition.

This monograph provides a general introduction to advanced computational methods for free energy calculations, from the systematic and rigorous point of view of applied mathematics. Free energy calculations in molecular dynamics have become an outstanding and increasingly broad computational field in physics, chemistry and molecular biology within the past few years, by making possible the analysis of complex molecular systems. This work proposes a new, general and rigorous presentation, intended both for practitioners interested in a mathematical treatment, and for applied mathematicians interested in molecular dynamics.

The Reviews in Computational Chemistry series brings together leading authorities in the field to teach the newcomer and update the expert on topics centered around molecular modeling, such as computer-assisted molecular design (CAMD), quantum chemistry, molecular mechanics and dynamics, and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). This volume, like those prior to it, features chapters by experts in various fields of computational chemistry. Topics in Volume 28 include: Free-energy Calculations with Metadynamics Polarizable Force Fields for Biomolecular Modeling Modeling Protein Folding Pathways Assessing Structural Predictions of Protein-Protein Recognition Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of Electrochemical Systems Reactivity and Dynamics at Liquid Interfaces

Free energy calculations represent the most accurate computational method available for predicting enzyme inhibitor binding affinities. Advances in computer power in the 1990s enabled the practical application of these calculations in rationale drug design. This book represents the first comprehensive review of this growing area of research and covers the basic theory underlying the method, numerous state of the art strategies designed to improve throughput and dozen examples wherein free energy calculations were used to design and evaluate potential drug candidates.

This book is ideal for use in a one-semester introductory course in physical chemistry for students of life sciences. The author's aim is to emphasize the understanding of physical concepts rather than focus on precise mathematical development or on actual experimental details. Subsequently, only basic skills of differential and integral calculus are required for understanding the equations. The end-of-chapter problems have both physiochemical and biological applications.