Polarization of water in the first hydration shell of K+ and Ca2+ ions

Accurate representation of the interactions of water molecules with charges is essential for correct description of biomolecules and their interactions and, hence, is a primary concern in the design of classical force fields. This task is made even more challenging by the fact that the charge distribution of water molecules in liquid is significantly altered by the local environment. To understand how such polarization effects would modify the force fields, we have performed density functional calculations for ion-water clusters using K+ and Ca2+ ions as probes. We find that the dipole moment of water molecules in the first hydration shell decreases with increasing number of waters, which is explained by the suppression of the ion's electric field by those of water dipoles. Adding further water beyond the first shell, the dipole moment of the first shell waters increases because water dipoles are strongly polarized in the presence of hydrogen bond acceptors. Thus the net polarization of water in the hydration shell of an ion is determined by two competing effects, of which only one directly depends on the ion. These observations explain why the dipole moment of waters in the first hydration shell of a K+ ion is smaller compared to those in bulk water while the opposite is true for Ca2+ ions and suggest new constraints to be used in the development of polarizable water models.