Universality in hydrogen-bond networks

Thermodynamics of two lattice ice models in three dimensions

In a recent paper we introduced two Potts-like models in three dimensions, which share the following properties: (A) One of the ice rules is always fulfilled (in particular also at infinite temperature, beta=0 ). (B) Both ice rules hold for ground-state configurations. This allowed for an efficient calculation of the residual entropy of ice I (ordinary ice) by means of multicanonical simulations. Here we present the thermodynamics of these models in more details. Despite their similarities with Potts models, no sign of a disorder-order phase transition is found.

Helix formation inside a nanotube: possible influence of backbone-water hydrogen bonding by the confining surface through modulation of water activity

Recent molecular dynamics simulations of Sorin and Pande [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128, 6316 (2006)] in explicit solvent found that helix formation of an alanine peptide is disfavored inside a nanotube relative to that in bulk solution. Here, we present a theory to quantitatively rationalize their simulation results. The basic idea is that the nonpolar inner surface of the nanotube creates a depletion layer and raises the activity of the confined water. The raised water activity, in turn, stabilizes the coil state through hydrogen bonding with the backbone amides and carbonyls. We account for the influence of water activity on helix formation within the Lifson-Roig theory. With physically reasonable parameters, the dependence of the helical content on the diameter of the nanotube obtained in the simulations is well reproduced.

Liquid polymorphism and density anomaly in a three-dimensional associating lattice gas

The authors investigate the phase diagram of a three-dimensional associating lattice gas (ALG) model. This model combines orientational icelike interactions and "van der Waals" that might be repulsive, representing, in this case, a penalty for distortion of hydrogen bonds. These interactions can be interpreted as two competing distances, making the connection between this model and continuous isotropic soft-core potentials. The authors present Monte Carlo studies of the ALG model showing the presence of two liquid phases, two critical points, and density anomaly.

Three-dimensional square water in the presence of an external electric field

In this work we study a tridimensional statistical model for the hydrogen-bond (HB) network formed in liquid water in the presence of an external electric field. This model is analogous to the so-called square water, whose ground state gives a good estimate for the residual entropy of the ice. In our case, each water molecule occupies one site of a cubic lattice, and no hole is allowed. The hydrogen atoms of water molecules are disposed at the lines connecting nearest-neighbor sites, in a way that each water can be found in 15 different states. We say that there is a hydrogen bond between two neighboring molecules when only one hydrogen is in the line connecting both molecules. Through Monte Carlo simulations with Metropolis and entropic sampling algorithms, and by exact calculations for small lattices, we determined the dependence of the number of molecules aligned to the field and the number of hydrogen bonds per molecule as a function of temperature and the intensity of the external field. The results for both approaches showed that, different of the two-dimensional case, there is no maximum in the number of HBs as a function of the electric field. However, we observed nonmonotonic behaviors as a function of the temperature of the quantities of interest. We also found the dependence of the entropy on the external electric field at very low temperatures. In this case, the entropy vanishes for the value of the external field for which the contributions to the total energy coming from the HBs and the field become the same.

Hydrophobic Hydration in an Orientational Lattice Model

To shed light on the microscopic mechanism of hydrophobic hydration, we study a simplified lattice model for water solutions in which the orientational nature of hydrogen bonding as well as the degeneracy related to proton distribution are taken into account. Miscibility properties of the model are looked at for both polar (hydrogen bonding) and nonpolar (non-hydrogen bonding) solutes. A quasichemical solution for the pure system is reviewed and extended to include the different kinds of solute. A Monte Carlo study of our model yields a novel feature for the local structure of the hydration layer: energy correlation relaxation times for solvation water are larger than the corresponding relaxation times for bulk water. This result suggests the presence of ordering of water particles in the first hydration shell. A nonassociating model solvent, represented by a lattice gas, presents opposite behavior, indicating that this effect is a result of the directionality of the interaction. In presence of polar solutes, we find an ordered mixed pseudophase at low temperatures, indicating the possibility of closed loops of immiscibility.

Liquid polymorphism and density anomaly in a lattice gas model

We present a simple model for an associating liquid in which polymorphism and density anomaly are connected. Our model combines a two dimensional lattice gas with particles interacting through a soft core potential and orientational degrees of freedom represented through thermal "ice variables." The competition between the directional attractive forces and the soft core potential leads to a phase diagram in which two liquid phases and a density anomaly are present. The coexistence line between the low density liquid and the high density liquid has a positive slope contradicting the surmise that the presence of a density anomaly implies that the high density liquid is more entropic than the low density liquid.