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A quantum eigensolver framework for assessing solvent effects of an SN2 reaction

Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We present a hybrid quantum-classical framework for molecular simulations that combines the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) with projection-based embedding (PBE) and an implicit solvation treatment. Solvent effects are incorporated through the solvation model based on density (SMD), enabling the investigation of chemically relevant processes in condensed phase environments within a quantum computing workflow. The embedding strategy partitions the molecular system into active and environment subsystems, allowing correlated quantum simulations of the chemically important subsystem while retaining an efficient classical description of the surroundings. As a representative application, we compute the potential energy surface of a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2) reaction between the chloride ion and chloromethane in multiple solvents, demonstrating that quantum eigensolver methods can be extended beyond gas-phase models to include solvent effects relevant for reaction energetics.
Source: ChemRxiv
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204998106
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