N-dimensional switch function for energy conservation in multiprocess reaction dynamics
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Author Spotlight: Streamlining Visual Dynamics to Simplify Molecular Dynamics Simulations Using Gromacs
Published on: August 9, 2024
1Centro de Investigação em Química do Algarve, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
Abstract:
The MReaDy program was designed for studying Multiprocess Reactive Dynamic systems, that is, complex chemical systems involving different and concurrent reactions. It builds a global potential energy surface integrating a variety of potential energy surfaces, each one of them representing an elementary reaction expected to play a role in the chemical process. For each elementary reaction, energy continuity problems may happen in the transition between potential energy surfaces due to differences in the functional form for each of the fragments, especially if built by different authors. A N-dimensional switch function is introduced in MReaDy in order to overcome such a problem. As an example, results of a collision trajectory calculation for H2 + OH → H3 O are presented, showing smooth transition in the potential energy, leading to conservation in the total energy. Calculations for a hydrogen combustion system from 1000 K up to 4000 K shows a variation of 0.012% when compared to the total energy of the system. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Entropy Change in Reversible Processes
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
Conservation of Energy in Control Volume
For steady flow systems, the time derivative of the stored energy becomes zero since there is no energy accumulation within the control volume. This simplifies the energy equation to:
Reversible and Irreversible Processes
Energy Transfer in Chemical Reactions
Path Between Thermodynamics States
Energy Diagrams, Transition States, and Intermediates

