Cavitation energies can outperform dispersion interactions
Suhang He1, Frank Biedermann2, Nina Vankova3,4
1Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Nature Chemistry
|October 10, 2018
Summary
Noble gas binding to cucurbit[5]uril in water is driven by lower energy costs for creating cavities, not dispersion forces. This finding impacts gas storage materials and biological receptor studies.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Chemical Physics
Background:
- Dissecting binding energies into microscopic components in solution is complex.
- Understanding host-guest interactions is crucial for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the binding of noble gases (He-Xe) with cucurbit[5]uril in aqueous solution.
- To determine the driving forces behind host-guest binding by dissecting hydration free energies.
- To elucidate the contributions of dispersive and repulsive forces to the binding process.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing 1H NMR spectroscopy to monitor the displacement of methane and ethane.
- Employing displacement assays with noble gases (He-Xe) as guests.
- Analyzing hydration free energies into attractive dispersive and repulsive cavity formation components.
Main Results:
- Noble gas binding to cucurbit[5]uril is primarily driven by differential cavitation energies.
- The energy required to form a cavity within cucurbit[5]uril is significantly lower than in bulk water.
- Dispersion interactions play a lesser role compared to cavitation effects in this binding process.
Conclusions:
- The binding of noble gases to cucurbit[5]uril is governed by favorable energetics of cavity formation.
- Recovery of cavitation energy is the primary driver for the overall binding process.
- Findings have implications for designing advanced gas-storage materials and understanding biological receptor mechanisms.
Related Concept Videos
00:54Distribution and Dispersion
25.3K
To understand intra-specific interactions in populations, scientists measure the spatial arrangement of species individuals. This geographic arrangement is known as the species distribution or dispersion. Highly territorial species exhibit a uniform distribution pattern, in which individuals are spaced at relatively equal distances from one another. Species that are highly tied to particular resources, such as food or shelter, tend to concentrate around those resources, and thus exhibit a...
25.3K
04:10What is Energy?
59.0K
The universe is composed of matter in different forms, and all forms of matter contain energy. The different forms of energy on Earth originate from the Sun — the ultimate energy source. Plants capture light energy from the Sun, and, via the process of photosynthesis, convert it into chemical energy. This stored energy from plants can be harnessed in many ways. For example, eating plant products as food provides energy for our body to function, and burning wood or coal (fossilized...
59.0K
01:21Free Energy
52.0K
Free energy—abbreviated as G for the scientist Gibbs who discovered it—is a measurement of useful energy that can be extracted from a reaction to do work. It is the energy in a chemical reaction that is available after entropy is accounted for. Reactions that take in energy are considered endergonic and reactions that release energy are exergonic. Plants carry out endergonic reactions by taking in sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen. Animals, in turn, break...
52.0K
03:21The Energies of Atomic Orbitals
30.2K
In an atom, the negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positively charged nucleus. In a multielectron atom, electron-electron repulsions are also observed. The attractive and repulsive forces are dependent on the distance between the particles, as well as the sign and magnitude of the charges on the individual particles. When the charges on the particles are opposite, they attract each other. If both particles have the same charge, they repel each other.
30.2K
02:27Energy Basics
47.6K
Chemical reactions, such as those that occur when you light a match, involve changes in energy as well as matter.
47.6K
03:25Free Energy Changes for Nonstandard States
13.6K
The free energy change for a process taking place with reactants and products present under nonstandard conditions (pressures other than 1 bar; concentrations other than 1 M) is related to the standard free energy change according to this equation:
13.6K