Interfacial properties of cyclic hydrocarbons: A Monte Carlo study

The Monte Carlo technique is used to study the vapor-liquid inter-face of cyclopentane, cyclohexane, and benzene. The OPLS and TraPPE potential fields are compared in the temperature range from 298.15 to 348.15 K (273.15-298.15 K for C5H10). A new method for the treatment of the long-range interactions in inhomogeneous simulations is used. When this new method is employed, the obtained values of saturated liquid density and of enthalpy of vaporization are equal to those obtained using the bulk isothermal-isobaric Monte Carlo technique. The values of surface tension become independent of the cutoff distance and they are significantly larger than those when only simple spherical truncation of intermolecular interactions is used.