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Related Concept Videos

Aquaporins01:25

Aquaporins

Aquaporins or AQPs are a family of integral membrane proteins whose primary function is to transport water, while some called aquaglyceroporins also transport glycerol. In addition, aquaporins have also been suspected to be involved in transporting volatile substances, such as carbon dioxide and ammonia, across membranes. Such AQPs that act as gas channels are often highly expressed in cells involved in the gaseous exchange, such as red blood cells, epithelial cells, and pulmonary capillaries.
Solvents01:12

Solvents

A solvent is a substance, most often a liquid, that can dissolve other substances. Here, the substance being dissolved is called a solute. When a solvent and a solute combine, they form a solution - a homogenous mixture of both the solvent and the solute. Water is a universal biological solvent. Its polar structure allows it to dissolve many other polar compounds. The ability of water to dissolve is governed by a balance between water molecules binding to each other and binding to the solute.
A...
Chemistry of the Cell02:58

Chemistry of the Cell

The cell is chemically composed of water, organic molecules and inorganic ions.
Water
The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen bonding makes water a unique substance with special properties that are intimately tied to the processes of life. Life originally evolved in an aqueous environment, and most of an organism’s cellular chemistry and metabolism occur inside the aqueous contents of the cell’s cytoplasm. Special properties of water are its high heat capacity and heat of...
Cohesion01:07

Cohesion

Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type, such as water molecules. Water molecules have an overall neutral charge but are polar molecule. An oxygen atom in one water molecule has a partial negative charge that can bind to a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge in a second water molecule, forming a hydrogen bond. Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for water's cohesive nature.
On a surface,...
Regulation of Water Output01:26

Regulation of Water Output

The human body predominantly expels water through the urinary system. On average, an individual generates around 1.5 liters of urine each day. This amount can fluctuate based on how well a person is hydrated, but a critical minimum quantity of urine must be produced to ensure the body's proper functioning. Daily, the kidneys remove 600 to 1200 milliosmoles of dissolved substances, effectively excreting excess minerals and water-soluble toxins such as creatinine, urea, and uric acid from the...
Role of Water in Human Biology01:27

Role of Water in Human Biology

Water is the one of the most significant components of the human body; it plays a crucial role in several physiological activities because of its unique physicochemical properties. Importantly, it helps to regulate body temperature and is the chief component of several body fluids.
Water's Solvent Properties
Since water is a polar molecule with slightly positive and slightly negative charges, ions and polar molecules can readily dissolve in it. Therefore, it is referred to as a solvent, a...

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Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes
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Water: a responsive small molecule.

Mary Jane Shultz1, Tuan Hoang Vu, Bryce Meyer

  • 1Laboratory for Water and Surface Studies, Chemistry Department, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States. Mary.Shultz@Tufts.edu

Accounts of Chemical Research
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This summary is machine-generated.

Water

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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Chemical Physics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Water's unique hydrogen-bond network is flexible and dynamic, making its local structure difficult to probe.
  • Understanding water's local structure is crucial for fields ranging from protein folding to atmospheric chemistry.
  • The structure of hexagonal ice (I(h)) influences our understanding of liquid water's tetrahedral coordination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the local structure of water near solutes and at aqueous surfaces.
  • To understand how solutes and interfaces alter water's hydrogen-bond network.
  • To explore the role of vibrational spectroscopy in probing water's local environment.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing vibrational spectroscopy, specifically O-H stretching frequencies, as a probe.
  • Examining local interactions between water and small solutes (hydrocarbons, salts).
  • Analyzing longer-range interactions at aqueous surfaces, including salt solutions.

Main Results:

  • Water exhibits a propensity to act as a hydrogen bond acceptor, deviating from symmetric tetrahedral coordination.
  • Interactions with hydrocarbons are centered at the water oxygen.
  • In salt solutions, interactions are stronger with cations than anions, and surface spectra differ from neat water.

Conclusions:

  • The local water structure near solutes is asymmetric, favoring acceptor behavior.
  • Surface vibrational spectroscopy of salt solutions requires considering both ions and water.
  • Vibrational spectroscopy effectively probes the complex hydrogen-bond dynamics in aqueous systems.