Impact of the solvent on the conformational isomerism of calix[4]arenes:: A study based on continuum solvation models

The influence of solvation on the conformational isomerism of calix[4]arene and p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene has been investigated by using the continuum model reported by Miertus, Scrocco, and Tomasi (MST). The quantum mechanical (QM) and semiclassical (SC) formalisms of the MST model have been considered for two different solvents (chloroform and water). The suitability of the QM-MST and SC-MST methods has been examined by comparison with previous results derived from classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with explicit solvent molecules. The application of the continuum model to the solute configurations generated by using in vacuo classical MD simulations provides a fast strategy to evaluate the effects of the solvent on the conformational preferences of calixarenes. These encouraging results allow us to propose the use of continuum models to solutes with complex molecular structures, which are traditionally studied by MD simulations.