A new version release (4.0) of the molecular simulation tool ms2 (Deublein et al., 2011; is presented. Version 4.0 of ms2 features two additional potential functions to address the repulsive and dispersive interactions in a more versatile way, i.e. the Mie potential and the Tang-Toennies potential. This version further introduces Kirkwood-Buff integrals based on radial distribution functions, which allow the sampling of the thermodynamic factor of mixtures with up to four components, orientational distribution functions to elucidate mutual configurations of neighboring molecules, thermal diffusion coefficients of binary mixtures for heat, mass as well as coupled heat and mass transport, Einstein relations to sample transport properties with an alternative to the Green-Kubo formalism, dielectric constant of non-polarizable fluid models, vapor-liquid equilibria relying on the second virial coefficient and cluster criteria to identify nucleation.

The concentration dependence of the dielectric constant and the density of 11 aqueous alkali halide solutions (LiCl, NaCl, KCl, RbCl, CsCl, LiI, NaI, KI, CsI, KF, and CsF) is investigated by molecular simulation. Predictions using eight non-polarizable ion force fields combined with the TIP4P/ε water model are compared to experimental data. The influence of the water model and the temperature on the results for the NaCl brine are also addressed. The TIP4P/ε water model improves the accuracy of dielectric constant predictions compared to the SPC/E water model. The solution density is predicted well by most ion models. Almost all ion force fields qualitatively capture the decline of the dielectric constant with the increase of concentration for all solutions and with the increase of temperature for NaCl brine. However, the sampled dielectric constant is mostly in poor quantitative agreement with experimental data. These results are related to the microscopic solution structure, ion pairing, and ultimately the force field parameters. Ion force fields with excessive contact ion pairing and precipitation below the experimental solubility limit generally yield higher dielectric constant values. An adequate reproduction of the experimental solubility limit should therefore be a prerequisite for further investigations of the dielectric constant of aqueous electrolyte solutions by molecular simulation.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) mixtures are essential for many industrial applications. However, the knowledge of their thermophysical properties in the extended critical region is insufficient. Here, supercritical liquid- and gas-like...

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