Molecular Modeling: Advancements and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

It is generally accepted that quantum mechanics, theoretical chemistry, and theoretical  physics are all very hermetic branches of science. However, their more recent incarnations, such as computational chemistry and molecular modeling, are also widely used in the laboratory by more practically oriented scientists. This is mainly due to the enormous progress we have witnessed since the middle of the 20th century, in theoretical developments and even more in computer hardware and software. The first milestone in computational chemistry and molecular modeling developments can be traced back to the theoretical prediction of the hydrogen molecule dissociation energy by Włodzimierz Kołos and Lutosław Wolniewicz in 1960, surpassing the most accurate experimental values determined earlier by Gerhard Herzberg and his team. Later on, in 1998 John Pople was awarded the Nobel prize for his development of computational methods in quantum chemistry together with Walter Kohn, one of the fathers of the density functional theory. In the few most recent decades, both in basic and applied sciences, we have witnessed an avalanche of new methods and applications of molecular modeling in chemistry, pharmacy, and material sciences.

Molecular modeling has been used mainly for the following two reasons:

1. Structure and property prediction of new molecular systems.
2. Support for the analysis of experimental data, including UV–VIS, IR/Raman, and NMR spectra.

Presently, the quest for novel methodologies is challenged by drug design and material sciences.

One of the important factors in this race is software development. Among the important factors of molecular modeling developments is the demand for accuracy, achieved mainly for small molecular systems. With the increasing size and complexity of the systems under investigation, they are often treated at a lower level of theoretical sophistication. In both cases, the speed of computer calculation and the available storage size are the limiting factors.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide potential readers with an overview of recent challenges and developments in the fields of computational chemistry and molecular modeling, particularly those pertaining to various spectroscopic methods employed by experimental chemists and scientists working in pharmacy and the material sciences.

Reviews, full papers, and short communications covering both the methodology and theory as well as the application aspects of molecular modeling are equally welcomed. The submission of papers addressing the topics listed below are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Teobald Kupka
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.