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Clathrate hydrates are poor models of biomolecule hydration
Author(s) -
Lipscomb Leigh Ann,
Zhou Fang Xiao,
Williams Loren Dean
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0282(199602)38:2<177::aid-bip4>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - clathrate hydrate , chemistry , biomolecule , environmental chemistry , hydrate , organic chemistry , biochemistry
Clathrate hydrates form the basis of a general model of biomolecule hydration. In clathrate hydrate crystal structures, the size of hydrogen‐bonded water rings is highly constrained to five members. The clathrate hydrate model predicts that the size of water rings near biomolecule surfaces is similarly constrained to five members. This report describes a test of this model of biomolecule hydration. We have demonstrated that five‐membered water rings are not a general feature of protein or nucleic acid hydration. The clathrate hydrate model appears to be inappropriate for biomolecules. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.