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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy to Study Picosecond-Nanosecond Dynamics of Proteins and Hydration Water
Published on: April 28, 2022
Suppression of proton mobility by hydrophobic hydration
Mischa Bonn1, Huib J Bakker, Gianluca Rago
1FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Science Park 113, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.bonn@amolf.nl
Abstract:
Fluorescence microscopy and conductivity measurements reveal a remarkably strong effect of hydrophobic groups on the mobility of protons in water. The addition of 5 M of tetramethylurea (4 methyl groups per molecule) results in a reduction of the proton mobility by a factor of approximately 10: hydrophobic hydration strongly suppresses proton mobility. These observations demonstrate the collective nature of aqueous proton transport.
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