Proton transfer in nanoconfined polar solvents. II. Adiabatic proton transfer dynamics.

The reaction dynamics for a model phenol-amine proton transfer system in a confined methyl chloride solvent have been simulated by mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics. In this approach, the proton vibration is treated quantum mechanically (and adiabatically), while the rest of the system is described classically. Nonequilibrium trajectories are used to determine the proton transfer reaction rate constant. The reaction complex and methyl chloride solvent are confined in a smooth, hydrophobic spherical cavity, and radii of 10, 12, and 15 A have been considered. The effects of the cavity radius and the heavy atom (hydrogen bond) distance on the reaction dynamics are considered, and the mechanism of the proton transfer is examined in detail by analysis of the trajectories.