In this contribution, we focused on the use of polarizable force fields to model the structural, energetic, and thermodynamical properties of lanthanides and actinides in water. In a first part, we chose the particular case of the Th(IV) cation to demonstrate the capabilities of the AMOEBA polarizable force field to reproduce both reference ab initio gas-phase energetics and experimental data including coordination numbers and radial distribution functions. Using such model, we predicted the first polarizable force field estimate of Th(IV) solvation free energy, which accounts for -1,638 kcal/mol. In addition, we proposed in a second part of this work a full extension of the SIBFA (Sum of Interaction Between Fragments Ab initio computed) polarizable potential to lanthanides (La(III) and Lu(III)) and to actinides (Th(IV)) in water. We demonstrate its capabilities to reproduce all ab initio contributions as extracted from energy decomposition analysis computations, including many-body charge transfer and discussed its applicability to extended molecular dynamics and its parametrization on high-level post-Hartree-Fock data.

The hydration free energies, structures, and dynamics of open- and closed-shell trivalent lanthanide and actinide metal cations are studied using molecular dynamics simulations (MD) based on a polarizable force field. Parameters for the metal cations are derived from an ab initio bottom-up strategy. MD simulations of six cations solvated in bulk water are subsequently performed with the AMOEBA polarizable force field. The calculated first-and second shell hydration numbers, water residence times, and free energies of hydration are consistent with experimental/theoretical values leading to a predictive modeling of f-elements compounds.