ChimiaPub Date : 2026-05-27DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.298
Antonia S Kuhn, Igor Gordiy, Felix Pultar, Sereina Riniker
{"title":"Leveraging the Potential of Machine-Learning Interatomic Potentials for QM/MM Simulations.","authors":"Antonia S Kuhn, Igor Gordiy, Felix Pultar, Sereina Riniker","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.298","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.298","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Machine-learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) are increasingly used to replace computationally expensive quantum-mechanical (QM) calculations to obtain the energies and forces in ab initio or multiscale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. While the computational cost of MLIPs lies between that of QM methods and classical force fields (molecular mechanics, MM), their accuracy is close to that of the chosen reference method (e.g. density functional theory, DFT) with sufficient training data. However, for large biological systems in solution, MLIPs are still too costly to perform long MD simulations, where the full system (i.e. including the solvent) is described by the MLIP. Instead, multiscale approaches analogous to QM/MM (i.e. ML/MM) offer a viable compromise between computational effort and accessible system size and time scales. In this review, we provide a brief overview of recent advances and current developments in this field.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 5","pages":"298-304"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2026-05-27DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.327
Giada Bedendi, Plinio Maroni, Ross D Milton
{"title":"Cooperativity in Enzyme-Substrate Complex Formation in Nitrogenase-like Dark Operative Protochlorophyllide Oxidoreductase (DPOR).","authors":"Giada Bedendi, Plinio Maroni, Ross D Milton","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.327","DOIUrl":"10.2533/chimia.2026.327","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dark-operative protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (DPOR) performs the stereoselective two-electron reduction of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide. Importantly, like nitrogenase, DPOR has two functional and coupled substrate reduction sites. DPOR also permits the relatively rare formation of the enzyme-substrate complex to be followed in real-time. We report that substrate binding, prior to its reduction, is a cooperative process.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 5","pages":"327-331"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2026-05-27DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.314
Ke Chen, Sandra Luber
{"title":"Physics-Informed and Equivariant Machine Learning for Molecular Dipole Moment Prediction.","authors":"Ke Chen, Sandra Luber","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.314","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.314","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate prediction of molecular electric dipole moments is crucial for determining molecular properties and understanding molecular reactivity. Recent developments in equivariant machine learning enable direct prediction of electric dipole moments as vector quantities. This raises the question as to whether it is still necessary to consider physics-informed charge-based principles in the model to achieve satisfactory performance. In this work, we systematically compare direct equivariant electric dipole prediction using MACE with charge-based approaches using adapted MACE which incorporates a variant charge equilibrium equation (QEq) into the MACE framework. Across diverse datasets including QM7b, QM9, as well as subsets of the SPICE and SN2 data sets, we demonstrate that both direct equivariant electric dipole prediction and physics-informed QEq approaches show good performance for short-to-medium range interaction datasets. The charge-based QEq model shows slightly better performance than direct prediction beyond small training data sizes. Notably, the charge-based QEq model outperforms direct electric dipole prediction for the systems with long range interactions. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating physics into the model for improved model interpretability and transferability.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 5","pages":"314-318"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2026-05-27DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.305
Miroslava Nedyalkova, Vasil Simeonov, Marco Lattuada
{"title":"From Experimental Planning to Autonomous Discovery: The Changing Role of Design of Experiments in Nanotechnology.","authors":"Miroslava Nedyalkova, Vasil Simeonov, Marco Lattuada","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.305","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.305","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Design of Experiments (DoE) is increasingly reshaping how nanomaterials are discovered, optimized, and understood, enabling a shift from empirical trial-and-error toward predictive, knowledge-driven design. As nanotechnology advances toward multifunctional and highly coupled systems, unstructured experimentation struggles to deliver reproducibility, efficiency, or transferability. This perspective highlights the evolution of DoE from classical factorial designs and response surface methodology to Bayesian, adaptive, and machine-learning-enabled frameworks. We discuss how structured experimentation reveals hidden interactions, supports multi-objective optimization, and enables uncertainty-aware decision-making across complex synthesis spaces.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 5","pages":"305-313"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2026-05-27DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.319
Michela Pauletti, Marcella Iannuzzi, Vladimir V Rybkin
{"title":"Delta-Augmented Subsystem Density Functional Theory: A Study Across Diverse Systems.","authors":"Michela Pauletti, Marcella Iannuzzi, Vladimir V Rybkin","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.319","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we expand upon and benchmark the Kim-Gordon method (KG), a subsystem density functional theory (DFT) approach appended with a machine-learned correction to compensate for errors in the kinetic energy term and thereby match Kohn-Sham (KS) DFT accuracy. This correction is obtained through 'delta- learning' based on KS-DFT data. The method promises sampling of configurations for condensed molecular systems at the Kohn-Sham DFT level of accuracy at a fraction of the computational cost. Despite encouraging results for liquid water, it was not obvious whether the scheme had more general appeal. In this work, we show that the approach allows for a broad range of applications. In particular, we successfully apply it to complex molecular liquids, such as bulk ammonia and methanol. As a bonus, the correction trained on the bulk KS data is applicable to clusters, illustrating its transferability. By focusing on 'delta-learning'-predicting small corrections rather than full Kohn-Sham (KS) energies and forces-we significantly reduce the required training data. This approach, especially when combined with linear-scaling self-consistent field (LS-SCF) techniques, establishes the method as a highly efficient computational tool for molecular dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 5","pages":"319-326"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2026-05-27DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.292
Valerii Andreichev, Jindra Dušek, Markus Meuwly, Jeremy O Richardson
{"title":"High-Accuracy Molecular Simulations with Machine-Learning Potentials and Semiclassical Approximations to Quantum Dynamics.","authors":"Valerii Andreichev, Jindra Dušek, Markus Meuwly, Jeremy O Richardson","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate simulations of molecules require high-level electronic-structure theory in combination with rigorous methods for approximating the quantum dynamics. Machine-learning approaches can significantly reduce the computational expense of this workflow without any loss of accuracy. We discuss various methods for constructing potential energy surfaces including transfer learning, which requires a minimal number of expensive training points. In this way, we can study chemical reactions at a high level but at a low cost. In particular, as the potentials are smooth and differentiable, they enable the use of more advanced semiclassical approximations to quantum dynamics, such as perturbatively corrected instanton theory, which can capture both tunnelling and anharmonicity.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 5","pages":"292-297"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2026-04-29DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.219
Owen Kanisius, Michel Rickhaus
{"title":"Bending the Macrocycle: A Deep Dive into Curved Porphyrinoids.","authors":"Owen Kanisius, Michel Rickhaus","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.219","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.219","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Porphyrinoids are a well-established class of molecules, with research ranging from biological applications to light-harvesting nanorings and qubits. Recently, curved variants have received increased attention. Bending them out of planarity has been shown to impact π-π communication and self-assembly properties, making them ideal model systems for advanced molecular electronic devices and supramolecular assemblies. Carpyridines, which are macrocyclic curved porphyrinoids combining carbazole and pyridine moieties, share structural similarities with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and can be thought of as porphyrinoid-PAH hybrids. We became interested in carpyridines for their persistent saddle-like geometry with which we can drive self-assembly. But their unusual geometry has other consequences too, some of which we discuss in this overview.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 4","pages":"219-221"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChimiaPub Date : 2026-04-29DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2026.226
Jennifer Kuziola, Eva Hevia
{"title":"Using Iron amides as Basic Reagents for Fluoroarene Metalation.","authors":"Jennifer Kuziola, Eva Hevia","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.226","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fluoroarenes are important motifs in modern synthesis, yet regioselective C-H functionalization while preserving strong C-F bonds remains a significant challenge. Building on recent studies from our group, here we describe the potential of iron(II) amides to selectively promote regioselective mono- and di-ferration of a diverse range of fluoroaromatic substrates under mild conditions via Fe(II)-H exchange. Two alternative strategies are presented which include the use of a sodium ferrate which switches on heterobimetallic cooperation; and the development of a super basic iron amide containing TMP (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide) groups which allow for the efficient ferration of fluoroarenes under mild reaction conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 4","pages":"226-229"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trialkylsulfonium Ligands for the Robust Surface Passivation of Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals.","authors":"Oleksandr Kolomiiets, Maryna Bodnarchuk, Maksym Kovalenko","doi":"10.2533/chimia.2026.212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2026.212","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study introduces a structurally diverse library of long-chain trialkylsulfonium ligands designed to provide surface stabilization of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP NCs). We evaluate the influence of ligand structure on binding affinity and demonstrate that sulfonium-based ligands offer effective passivation compared to traditional ammonium ligands. Notably, the resulting NCs exhibit exceptional stability at high dilutions and maintain integrity in industrially relevant manufacturing solvents for down-conversion layer production. This work highlights the potential of sulfonium-based ligands to stabilize and produce robust, high-performance perovskite NCs for photonics and optoelectronics.</p>","PeriodicalId":9957,"journal":{"name":"Chimia","volume":"80 4","pages":"212-214"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}