Abstract
A combined quantum chemical statistical mechanical method has been used to study the solvation of urea in water, with emphasis on the structure of urea. The model system consists of three parts: a Hartree-Fock quantum chemical core, 99 water molecules described with a polarizable force-field, and a dielectric continuum. A free-energy profile along the transition of urea from planar to a nonplanar structure is calculated. This mode in aqueous solution is found to be floppy. That is, the structure of urea in water is not well-defined because the planar to nonplanar transition requires an energy of the order of the thermal energy at room temperature. We discuss the implications of this finding for simulation studies of urea in polar environments like water and proteins.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11511-11515 |
| Journal | The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B |
| Volume | 111 |
| Issue number | 39 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Bibliographical note
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015.The record was previously connected to the following departments: Theoretical Chemistry (S) (011001039)
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Theoretical Chemistry