OPLS4 & OPLS5 Force Fields

Modern, comprehensive force fields for accurate molecular simulations

OPLS4 & OPLS5 Force Fields

Improve the quality of your computational predictions with Schrödinger’s state of the art force fields

Force fields are used in molecular simulations to describe the interactions between atoms in a system. Having an accurate force field is at the heart of obtaining useful molecular structures and predicting relative energies, and yet many in silico programs employ force fields that are years, if not decades, old and suffer from lack of sufficient coverage for many common molecular motifs.

OPLS4 and OPLS5 are highly accurate, modern force fields with comprehensive coverage of chemical space for both drug discovery and materials science applications. They build upon the extensive coverage and accuracy achieved in previous OPLS versions by improving the accuracy of functional groups that have presented significant modeling challenges in the past.

New OPLS5: A polarizable force field

Full release of the OPLS5 polarizable small molecule force field: Provides broad coverage of organic functional groups for improved FEP+ and Desmond simulation accuracy

Key Benefits of Schrödinger OPLS

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Continuous scientific development by leading force field experts
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Backed by state of the art quantum engine (Jaguar) and extensive experimental validation
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Broad coverage of chemical space for small molecules, biologics and materials science applications
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Easily extendible into novel project-specific chemistry with Force Field Builder

Applications for drug discovery

Obtain more accurate predictions of binding affinity

OPLS produces accurate predictions of binding free energies in FEP+, leading to more accurate rank ordering among congeneric series of compounds.

Predict binding modes of novel scaffolds

OPLS aids in accurately predicting binding modes of novel scaffolds with advanced induced fit docking methods in IFD-MD.

Perform accurate molecular dynamics simulations

OPLS helps elucidate mechanisms of action and interaction energies captured by accurately modeling molecular dynamics with Desmond.

Improve conformational analyses

OPLS provides a more accurate description of torsional energies and leads to improved conformational analyses and docking poses in Glide, ConfGen, MacroModel, and Prime.

Related Products

Learn more about the related computational technologies available to progress your research projects.

FEP+

High-performance free energy calculations for drug discovery

IFD-MD

Accurate ligand binding mode prediction for novel chemical matter, for on-targets and off-targets

Desmond

High-performance molecular dynamics (MD) engine providing high scalability, throughput, and scientific accuracy

Force Field Builder

Efficient tool for optimizing custom torsion parameters in OPLS4

MS Transport

Efficient molecular dynamics (MD) simulation tool for predicting liquid viscosity and diffusions of atoms and molecules

MS CG

Efficient coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for large systems over long time scales

MS Penetrant Loading

Molecular dynamics (MD) modeling for predicting water loading and small molecule gas adsorption capacity of a condensed system

Publications

Browse the list of peer-reviewed publications using Schrödinger technology in related application areas.

Materials Science
Chiral Sensing of Tryptophan Enantiomers Based on the Enzyme Mimics of β-Cyclodextrin-Modified Sulfur Quantum Dots
Materials Science
Linking Redox Characteristics to Dissolved Organic Matter Derived from Different Biowaste Composts: A Theoretical Modeling Approach Based on FT–ICR MS Analysis
Materials Science
Formation of a Disulfide Bridge on the Resin during Solid-Phase Synthesis of Terlipressin: Influence of the Boc-Protected and Free N-Terminal Amino Group
Materials Science
Intramolecular Cyclization of Alkynylheteroaromatic Substrates Bearing a Tethered Cyano Group: A Strategy for Accessing Fused Pyridoheterocycles
Materials Science
DELTA50: A Highly Accurate Database of Experimental 1H and 13C NMR Chemical Shifts Applied to DFT Benchmarking
Life Science
FEP augmentation as a means to solve data paucity problems for machine learning in chemical biology
Life Science
Incorporation of multiple β2-hydroxy acids into a protein in vivo using an orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase
Materials Science
Reaction dynamics as the missing puzzle piece: the origin of selectivity in oxazaborolidinium ion-catalysed reactions
Materials Science
Directed Evolution to Reverse Epoxide Hydrolase Enantioselectivity for meso-3,4-Epoxytetrahydrofuran
Materials Science
Structure and energetics of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene via density functional theory

Training & Resources

Online certification courses

Level up your skill set with hands-on, online molecular modeling courses. These self-paced courses cover a range of scientific topics and include access to Schrödinger software and support.

Tutorials

Learn how to deploy the technology and best practices of Schrödinger software for your project success. Find training resources, tutorials, quick start guides, videos, and more.