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The ‘ n ’ effect in molecular recognition
Author(s) -
Westwell Martin S.,
Searle Mark S.,
Williams Dudley H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of molecular recognition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.401
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1099-1352
pISSN - 0952-3499
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1352(199603)9:2<88::aid-jmr250>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - cooperativity , intermolecular force , crystal (programming language) , melting temperature , chemical physics , chemistry , thermodynamics , melting point , materials science , crystallography , molecule , physics , organic chemistry , biochemistry , computer science , composite material , programming language
The cooperativity which exists in crystal melting and many biological molecular recognition phenomena arises from extended arrays of weak interactions. We present a correlation between the melting temperature of a crystal and the intermolecular energy (which is evident only when compounds possessing several or many internal rotors are excluded). The correlation is used as the basis for a model of crystal melting which is capable of estimating the melting temperature of crystals. This model provides the basis for an understanding of the sharpness of the crystal melting transition for organic and inorganic substances. The cooperativity illustrated by the extended arrays of weak interactions, or the ‘ n ’ effect, is extended to analogous order/disorder transitions in biological systems, such as the ‘melting’ of DNA and RNA duplexes, providing insights into the physical properties of these structures.