Hydrocarbon chain dynamics

Theoretical Calculations.- A molecular interpretation of the chain-length dependent thermotropic behaviour of saturated symmetrical-chain phosphatidylcholine bilavers has been put forward. Thermodynamic parameters of the thermal phase-transition were found to be linearly related to a perturbation parameter and could be used to predict the minimum number of carbon atoms in the acvl chain needed for a bilayer phase-transition to occur. A model has been developed, consistent with NMR data, for hydrocarbon-chain dynamics in lipid bilayers. Involving concerted rotations around at least two C-C bonds at a... 

Having demonstrated that our simulation reproduces the neutron data reasonably well, we may critically evaluate the models used to interpret the data. For the models to be analytically tractable, it is generally assumed that the center-of-mass and internal motions are decoupled so that the total intermediate scattering function can be written as a product of the expression for the center-of-mass motion and that for the internal motions. We have confirmed the validity of the decoupling assumption over a wide range of Q (data not shown). In the next two sections we take a closer look at our simulation to see to what extent the dynamics is consistent with models used to describe the dynamics. We discuss the motion of the center of mass in the next section and the internal dynamics of the hydrocarbon chains in Section IV.F. 

FIG. 23 Surface pressure vs. area/molecule isotherms at 300 K from molecular dynamics simulations of Karaborni et al. (Refs. 362-365). All are for hydrocarbon chains with carboxylate-like head groups, (a) (filled squares) A 20-carbon chain, (b) (filled circles) A 16-carbon chain with a square simulation box the curve is shifted 5 A to the right, (c) (open squares) A 16-carbon chain with a nonsquare box with dimensions in the ratio xly = (3/4) to fit a hexagonal lattice the curve is shifted 5 A to the right. (Reproduced with permission from Ref. 365. Copyright 1993 American Chemical Society.)... 

Tarek et al. [388] studied a system with some similarities to the work of Bocker et al. described earlier—a monolayer of n-tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide. They also used explicit representations of the water molecules in a slab orientation, with the mono-layer on either side, in a molecular dynamics simulation. Their goal was to model more disordered, liquid states, so they chose two larger molecular areas, 0.45 and 0.67 nm molecule Density profiles normal to the interface were calculated and compared to neutron reflectivity data, with good agreement reported. The hydrocarbon chains were seen as highly disordered, and the diffusion was seen at both areas, with a factor of about 2.5 increase from the smaller molecular area to the larger area. They report no evidence of a tendency for the chains to aggregate into ordered islands, so perhaps this work can be seen as a realistic computer simulation depiction of a monolayer in an LE state. 

Studies of the effect of permeant s size on the translational diffusion in membranes suggest that a free-volume model is appropriate for the description of diffusion processes in the bilayers [93]. The dynamic motion of the chains of the membrane lipids and proteins may result in the formation of transient pockets of free volume or cavities into which a permeant molecule can enter. Diffusion occurs when a permeant jumps from a donor to an acceptor cavity. Results from recent molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the free volume transport mechanism is more likely to be operative in the core of the bilayer [84]. In the more ordered region of the bilayer, a kink shift diffusion mechanism is more likely to occur [84,94]. Kinks may be pictured as dynamic structural defects representing small, mobile free volumes in the hydrocarbon phase of the membrane, i.e., conformational kink g tg ) isomers of the hydrocarbon chains resulting from thermal motion [52] (Fig. 8). Small molecules can enter the small free volumes of the kinks and migrate across the membrane together with the kinks. 

Levine, Y. K. (1993). Monte Carlo dynamics study of cis and trans unsaturated hydrocarbon chains, Mol. Phys., 78, 619-628. 

Here, V is the volume of the hydrocarbon chain(s) of the surfactant, the mean cross-sectional (effective) headgroup surface area, and 4 is the length of the hydrocarbon tail in the all-trans configuration. Surfactants with Pcone-shaped and form spherical micelles. For l/3truncated-cone-shaped, resulting in wormlike micelles (the term wormlike is preferred over rodlike to highlight the highly dynamic nature of these micelles). 

A micelle is a dynamic structure. Surfactants leave the micelle and go into solution while other surfactants enter the micelle from solution. The timescales involved depend critically on the specific structure of the surfactant, in particular on the length of the hydrocarbon chain. For example, the residence time of a single dodecylsulfate (CH3(CH2)h0S03 ) in a SDS micelle at 25° C is 6 /xs [525], If we reduce the chain length by two methylene units to decyl sulfate (CH3(CH2)g0S03 ) the residence time decreases to roughly 0.5 /us. Tetradecyl sulfate (CH3(CH2)i30S03 ), which has two methylene units more than dodecylsulfate, typically remains 83 /its in a micelle. 

The unterstanding of amphiphile association clearly must include detailed knowledge of the internal structure and dynamics, e.g., what is the conformation of the alkyl chains and what are their flexibility and packing conditions is the interior of micelles exclusively of hydrocarbon nature or is there any water penetration We will here consider the state of the hydrocarbon chains and defer a discussion of water penetration to the section on hydration. 

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