The melting temperature of proton-disordered hexagonal ice: A computer simulation of 4-site transferable intermolecular potential model of water

We report computer simulation results of free energies of proton-disordered hexagonal ice and liquid water at atmospheric pressure with the 4-site transferable intermolecular potential model of water. A new reference system is used to calculate the free energy of the ice phase. The melting point of proton-disordered hexagonal ice at atmospheric pressure is found to be T-m=238(+/- 7) K. This result is consistent with a previous estimation, 230 K < T-m< 250 K, from molecular dynamic simulation of the surface melting of the proton-disordered hexagonal ice [G.-J. Kroes, Surf. Sci. 275, 365 (1992)]. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)50618-7].