Water molecule charge

The results of early molecular dynamics simulations depend on the model potential functions and the number of particles used for the computations. Geiger (1981) employed the ST2-water model and 215 water molecules/charged particle. 

Zhao X L, Ong S W and Eisenthal K B 1993 Polarization of water-molecules at a charged interface. Second harmonic studies of charged monolayers at the air/water interface Chem. Phys. Lett. 202 513-20... 

The aluminium ion, charge -I- 3. ionic radius 0.045 nm, found in aluminium trifluoride, undergoes a similar reaction when a soluble aluminium salt is placed in water at room temperature. Initially the aluminium ion is surrounded by six water molecules and the complex ion has the predicted octahedral symmetry (see Table 2.5 ) ... 

It will be noted that hydration enthalpy decreases with increasing ionic radius and increases very sharply with increase in ionic charge, these results being what we should expect for an electrostate interaction between a charged ion and the dipole of a water molecule (p, 44). 

By using an effective, distance-dependent dielectric constant, the ability of bulk water to reduce electrostatic interactions can be mimicked without the presence of explicit solvent molecules. One disadvantage of aU vacuum simulations, corrected for shielding effects or not, is the fact that they cannot account for the ability of water molecules to form hydrogen bonds with charged and polar surface residues of a protein. As a result, adjacent polar side chains interact with each other and not with the solvent, thus introducing additional errors. 

The explicit definition of water molecules seems to be the best way to represent the bulk properties of the solvent correctly. If only a thin layer of explicitly defined solvent molecules is used (due to hmited computational resources), difficulties may rise to reproduce the bulk behavior of water, especially near the border with the vacuum. Even with the definition of a full solvent environment the results depend on the model used for this purpose. In the relative simple case of TIP3P and SPC, which are widely and successfully used, the atoms of the water molecule have fixed charges and fixed relative orientation. Even without internal motions and the charge polarization ability, TIP3P reproduces the bulk properties of water quite well. For a further discussion of other available solvent models, readers are referred to Chapter VII, Section 1.3.2 of the Handbook. Unfortunately, the more sophisticated the water models are (to reproduce the physical properties and thermodynamics of this outstanding solvent correctly), the more impractical they are for being used within molecular dynamics simulations. 

In this model of electrostatic interactions, two atoms (i and j) have point charges q and qj. The magnitude of the electrostatic energy (Veel) varies inversely with the distance between the atoms, Ry. The effective dielectric constant is 8. For in vacuo simulations or simulations with explicit water molecules, the denominator equals eRij. In some force fields, a distance-dependent dielectric, where the denominator is eRy Rjj, represents solvent implicitly. 

There is much discussion on the nature of the aluminum species present in slightly acidic and basic solutions. There is general agreement that in solutions below pH 4, the mononuclear Al " exists coordinated by six water molecules, ie, [ ( 20) ". The strong positive charge of the Al " ion polarizes each water molecule and as the pH is increased, a proton is eventually released, forming the monomeric complex ion [A1(0H)(H20) ]. At about pH 5, this complex ion and the hexahydrated Al " are in equal abundance. The pentahydrate complex ion may dimerize by losing two water molecules... 

Fig. 15. Ion movements in the electro dialysis process. Courtesy U.S. Agency for International Development, (a) Many of the substances which make up the total dissolved soHds in brackish water are strong electrolytes. When dissolved in water, they ionize ie, the compounds dissociate into ions which carry an electric charge. Typical of the ions in brackish water are Cl ,, HCO3, , and. These ions tend to attract the dipolar water molecules...

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