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Title: Quantitative H2O versus D2O differences from first-principles quantum simulation
Plain: Heavy water, in which hydrogen is replaced by deuterium, has its density maximum near 11 C instead of 4 C and is about 23 percent more viscous. These differences come only from the quantum motion of nuclei, so they test whether simulations treat that motion correctly.
Precise: Using path-integral simulations on a potential of coupled-cluster quality not fitted to isotope data, compute the H2O to D2O shifts of the temperature of maximum density (277.13 K versus about 284.3 K), the melting temperature (273.15 K versus about 276.97 K) and the viscosity ratio at 298 K (about 1.23), and decompose each into the competing quantum effects (hydrogen-bond weakening by intermolecular zero-point motion versus strengthening by O-H stretch delocalization). An answer is computed shifts within 1 K and 5 percent of experiment with the decomposition.
Settled by: Converged path-integral free-energy and dynamics calculations on an ab initio-quality many-body potential compared with measured isotope shifts.
Kind: well-posed
Answer type: value
References: (empty)
Literature status: open
Status note: (empty)
Posed since: (empty)