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Binding Hydrated Anions with Hydrophobic Pockets.

Punidha Sokkalingam¹, Joshua Shraberg², Steven W Rick²

¹Department of Chemistry, Tulane University , New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, United States.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|December 26, 2015

Summary

Soft anions show an affinity for hydrophobic concavities, remaining partially hydrated during binding. This finding suggests a new approach for recognizing and interacting with anions.

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Area of Science:

Biophysical Chemistry
Computational Chemistry
Molecular Recognition

Background:

Understanding anion interactions is crucial in various chemical and biological processes.
Hydrophobic interactions play a significant role in molecular binding events.
Current methods for anion recognition face limitations in specificity and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the binding preferences of anions to hydrophobic surfaces.
To explore the role of hydration in anion-surface interactions.
To propose a novel strategy for anion recognition based on observed affinities.

Main Methods:

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was employed to measure binding thermodynamics.
Quantum mechanics (QM) calculations provided insights into electronic interactions.
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to model the behavior of anions in solution and at interfaces.

Main Results:

Relatively soft anions exhibit a clear affinity for hydrophobic concavities.
Anions maintain partial hydration upon binding to these hydrophobic surfaces.
The degree of hydration correlates with the anion's softness and the surface's concavity.

Conclusions:

Hydrophobic concavities can serve as binding sites for specific anions.
Partial hydration is a key feature of this anion recognition mechanism.
This study presents a novel strategy for designing selective anion recognition systems.