Finney John L, Bowron Daniel T
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2005 Feb 15;363(1827):469-90; discussion 490-2. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2004.1503.
Structures and interactions between molecules in solution are modulated by the solvent. Changes in solvent conditions can lead to structural changes and transitions such as the assembly processes seen in micelle formation and protein folding. In the case of even quite complex liquid systems, we can now explore experimentally the configurational energy landscapes that underlie these processes. Using an aqueous solution of an amphiphile as an example, the structural transitions induced by changes in temperature, concentration and added salt are examined at the molecular level, and some critical regions of the landscape identified. Moreover, the potentials of mean force that quantitatively describe the solvent-modulated interaction between molecules in solution can now be experimentally accessed.
溶液中分子间的结构和相互作用受溶剂调节。溶剂条件的变化会导致结构变化和转变，如在胶束形成和蛋白质折叠中所见的组装过程。即使对于相当复杂的液体系统，我们现在也可以通过实验探索这些过程背后的构型能量景观。以两亲分子的水溶液为例，在分子水平上研究了温度、浓度和添加盐的变化所诱导的结构转变，并确定了景观的一些关键区域。此外，现在可以通过实验获得定量描述溶液中分子间溶剂调节相互作用的平均力势。
