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Interfaces and the driving force of hydrophobic assembly

Nature volume 437, pages 640–647 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

The hydrophobic effect — the tendency for oil and water to segregate — is important in diverse phenomena, from the cleaning of laundry, to the creation of micro-emulsions to make new materials, to the assembly of proteins into functional complexes. This effect is multifaceted depending on whether hydrophobic molecules are individually hydrated or driven to assemble into larger structures. Despite the basic principles underlying the hydrophobic effect being qualitatively well understood, only recently have theoretical developments begun to explain and quantify many features of this ubiquitous phenomenon.

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Figure 1: Configurations of liquid water molecules near hydrophobic cavities in molecular-dynamics simulations.
Figure 2: Solvation free energy, ΔG, for a spherical cavity in water as a function of the cavity size.
Figure 3: The average equilibrium density of water a distance r+R from spherical cavities in liquid water at standard conditions.
Figure 4: The driving force, ΔG, for assembling a cluster of small hydrophobic particles.
Figure 5: Length scales of amphiphiles in dynamic equilibrium with micelles.

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Acknowledgements

My research on hydrophobicity was supported by the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy. I thank L. Maibaum for discussions and help in writing this review. I am also indebted to R. Levy and C. Tanford for constructive criticisms of an earlier draft. My choices for references are illustrative, not comprehensive.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, California, USA

    David Chandler

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Chandler, D. Interfaces and the driving force of hydrophobic assembly. Nature 437, 640–647 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04162

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