Why Are Saccharides Dehydrated in the Presence of Electrolytes? Insights from Molecular Modeling and Thermodynamic Measurements

The mechanisms governing the interactions of neutral polar solutes with ions in aqueous solutions are still poorly understood, despite the importance of this phenomenon in many fields (chemistry, physicochemistry, biology, food industries). In order to go further through the understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing the ions' specific effects, this paper presents a generic method dealing with the characterization and understanding of interactions between saccharides and ions in aqueous systems. For that, an original approach combining a computational technique and experimental measurements (thermodynamic properties) is proposed to explain and rationalize the relationship between the solute hydration and the physical chemistry of the ions in solution (cation/anion, charge, size, and hydration). These relationships make it possible to evaluate the hydration state of a saccharide, a polar neutral molecule, according to the ionic composition, from the knowledge of the ions' hydration properties. This work proposes new insight into molecular mechanisms governing the polar neutral solute/ion interactions and a new understanding of the hydration phenomenon in electrolytic solutions.