Conformation and hydration of aspartame

Conformational free energy calculations using an empirical potential (ECEPP/2) and the hydration shell model were carried out on the neutral, acidic, zwitterionic, and basic forms of aspartame in the hydrated state. The results indicate that as the molecule becomes more charged, the number of low energy conformations becomes smaller and the molecule becomes less flexible. The calculated free energies of hydration of charged aspartames show that hydration has a significant effect on the conformation in solution. Only two feasible conformations were found for the zwitterionic form, and these are consistent with the conformations deduced from NMR and X-ray diffraction experiments. The calculated free energy difference between these two conformations was 1.25 kcal/mol. The less favored of the two solvated conformations can be expected to be stabilized by hydrophobic interaction of the phenyl groups in the crystal.