Holonomic constraint contributions to free energy differences from thermodynamic integration molecular dynamics simulations

T. P. Straatsma, M. Zacharias, J. A. McCammon

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Abstract

A method is presented for the evaluation of holonomic constraint contributions to free energy differences obtained from molecular dynamics simulations. The method is used with the thermodynamic integration technique in which analytical derivatives of the Hamiltonian are evaluated. The free energy contributions are shown to be easily derived from the constraint forces that can be evaluated from the SHAKE coordinate corrections. The problem of poor statistical accuracy associated with the creation or annihilation of atoms can be treated using a sprouting/desprouting technique, in which it is essential to be able to evaluate constraint contributions to free energy differences. This is illustrated for the mutation of ethanol to ethane in aqueous solution and in vacuo. For this system, experimental free energies of hydration are compared with the calculated values using different sprouting/desprouting protocols.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)297-302
Number of pages6
JournalChemical Physics Letters
Volume196
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 14 1992
Externally publishedYes

Funding

This work has been supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, and the National Center for Supercomputer Applications. MZ is a postdoctoral fellow supported by the Deutsche Forschungsge-meinschaft (DFG). JAM is the recipient of the G.H. Hitchings Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

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