Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
07:37
Revealing Dynamic Processes of Materials in Liquids Using Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy
Published on: December 20, 2012
Water, treated as the continuous liquid in and around cells
C J Van Oss1, R F Giese, A Docoslis
1Department of Microbiology, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA. cjvanoss@acsu.buffalo.edu
Cellular and Molecular Biology (Noisy-Le-Grand, France)
|December 1, 2001
Summary
Understanding non-covalent interactions in water requires treating water as a continuous medium. Lifshitz-van der Waals (LW), Lewis acid-base (AB), and electrostatic (EL) forces quantitatively explain these interactions, with AB forces often dominating.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Physical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Quantitative analysis of non-covalent interactions in aqueous environments (in vitro and in vivo) is crucial.
- Water's continuous medium nature is essential for accurate modeling of cellular interactions.
- Local alterations in water structure near surfaces are quantifiable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively analyze non-covalent inter- and intra-cellular interactions in water.
- To elucidate the roles of Lifshitz-van der Waals (LW), Lewis acid-base (AB), and electrostatic (EL) forces.
- To explain phenomena like hydrophobic attraction and hydrophilic repulsion.
Main Methods:
- Continuous medium approximation for water.
- Quantitative assessment of LW, AB, and EL forces.
- Analysis of hydrogen bonding in aqueous media.
Main Results:
- Lewis acid-base (AB) forces are often the predominant forces in aqueous media.
- Hydrophobic attraction and hydrophilic repulsion are significant AB interactions.
- LW, AB, and EL forces govern hydration, suspension stability, solubility, and ligand-receptor interactions.
Conclusions:
- A quantitative framework exists for understanding non-covalent interactions in water.
- The interplay of LW, AB, and EL forces dictates various biological and chemical phenomena.
- Accurate modeling requires considering water's continuous nature and localized structural changes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
00:47Osmosis
Approximately 60% to 95% of the weight of living organisms is attributed to water. Therefore, maintaining appropriate water balance within cells is of paramount importance. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane, such as a cell’s plasma membrane. In living organisms, water plays a crucial role as a solvent—a molecule that dissolves other molecules.Diffusion Versus OsmosisBoth diffusion and osmosis are types of passive transport—cellular transport that does not require...
00:59Tonicity in Animals
The tonicity of a solution determines if a cell gains or loses water in that solution. The tonicity depends on the permeability of the cell membrane for different solutes and the concentration of nonpenetrating solutes in the solution within and outside of the cell. If a semipermeable membrane hinders the passage of some solutes but allows water to follow its concentration gradient, water moves from the side with low osmolarity (i.e., less solute) to the side with higher osmolarity (i.e.,...
00:53Tonicity in Plants
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water. It depends on the quantity of solute that does not penetrate the membrane. Tonicity delimits the magnitude and direction of osmosis and results in three possible scenarios that alter the volume of a cell: hypertonicity, hypotonicity, and isotonicity. Due to differences in structure and physiology, tonicity of plant cells is different from that of animal cells in some scenarios.Plants and Hypotonic EnvironmentsUnlike animal cells,...
01:23Transcellular Transport of Solutes
Transcellular transport of solutes is the movement of substances like monosaccharides and amino acids through polarized cells. This transport mechanism is primarily seen in epithelial and endothelial cells aided by membrane transport proteins such as channels and transporters. The tight junctions between these cells confine the membrane proteins to the two sides of the cell. The epithelial cells have distinct apical and basolateral domains. In contrast, the endothelial cells show the luminal...
01:30Osmosis
Osmosis is the movement of free water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. The water's concentration gradient across the membrane is inversely proportional to the solutes' concentration. Whereas diffusion transports material across membranes and within cells, osmosis transports only water across a membrane, and the membrane limits the diffusion of solutes in the water. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion.
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of free water...
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of free water...
01:16Tonicity in Animals
Tonicity describes the amount of solute in a solution. The measure of the tonicity of a solution, or the total amount of solutes dissolved in a specific amount of solution, is called its osmolarity. Three terms—hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic—are used to relate the osmolarity of a cell to the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid that contains the cells. In a hypotonic solution, such as tap water, the extracellular fluid has a lower concentration of solutes than the fluid inside the cell,...