Water and Life: The Unique Properties of H2O

Cover page......Page 1
Title: Water And Life: The Unique Properties Of H2O......Page 3
ISBN 9781439803561......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Foreword......Page 8
Preface......Page 11
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Contributors......Page 13
Part I This Strange Substance Called “Water”
......Page 15
1.1 Introduction......Page 17
1.2 How Biophilic Is Water?......Page 19
1.3 Counterfactuals......Page 20
1.4 The Dangerous Liquid Water......Page 22
Acknowledgments......Page 23
2.1 Introduction: The H2O Molecule......Page 25
2.2 Life Processes: A Minimalist Approach......Page 27
2.3 Water in the Universe and in our Biosphere: The Hydrosphere......Page 28
2.5 Ionic and Molecular Hydration......Page 30
2.6 Hydrophobic Effects: A Unique Phenomenon?......Page 33
2.7 Water as Reactant and Reaction Product......Page 34
2.8 Water as Intracellular Transport Fluid......Page 35
2.10 Water: The Friend......Page 36
2.12 Defense against Water Stress......Page 37
References......Page 41
3.1 Introduction......Page 43
3.2.1.1 The Water Molecule as Nuclei......Page 44
3.2.1.2 The Water Molecule as a Distribution of Charge......Page 45
3.2.2 Interacti ons betw een Water Molecules......Page 47
3.2.3 Condensed Phases of Water......Page 48
3.2.3.1 Liquid Water: Structure......Page 50
3.2.3.2 Liquid Water: Dynamics......Page 51
3.2.3.4 A Note on the So-Called Anomalies of Water......Page 52
3.2.4 Water in Different Environments......Page 53
3.2.4.2 Water Structure at Polar and Mixed Interfaces......Page 54
3.2.4.4 Confined Water......Page 55
3.3.1 Protein Structure and Stability......Page 56
3.3.3 Proton Transport......Page 58
References......Page 59
Contents......Page 63
4.1.1 Small-Molecule Solutes: Hydrophiles and Hydrophobes......Page 64
4.1.2 Large Hydrophobic Solutes and Surfaces......Page 66
4.3.1 The Hydration Shell......Page 68
4.3.2 Dynamics, Cooperativity, and the Glass Transition......Page 69
4.4.1 Secondary Structure and Protein–Protein Interactions......Page 70
4.4.2 Mediation of Target Binding......Page 71
4.4.4 Involvement of Bound Water in Catalytic Action......Page 72
4.4.5 Proton Wires and Water Channels......Page 73
4.5 Water and Nucleic Acids......Page 74
4.6 Conclusions......Page 75
References......Page 76
5.1 Introduction to the Hydrogen Bond in Water......Page 83
5.2 Summary of the Contributions to Water's Hydrogen Bond......Page 86
5.3 Consequences of Water's Natural Hydrogen Bond Strength......Page 87
5.4 Consequences of Changes in Water's Hydrogen Bond Strength......Page 88
5.5 Methods for Estimating the Effect of Change in Water Hydrogen Bond Strength......Page 90
5.6 Effect of Water Hydrogen Bond Strength on Melting and Boiling Point......Page 91
5.7 Effect of Water Hydrogen Bond Strength on the Temperature of Maximum Density......Page 92
5.9 Effect of Water Hydrogen Bond Strength on Its Ionization......Page 93
5.10 Effect of Water Hydrogen Bond Strength on Biomolecule Hydration......Page 94
5.11 Effect of Water Hydrogen Bond Strength on its Other Physical Properties......Page 96
References......Page 98
Bibliography......Page 100
Part II The Specific Properties of Water—How and Why Water Is Eccentric......Page 101
6.1 Introduction......Page 103
6.2 Modified Water Models......Page 106
6.3 Liquid Anomalies......Page 107
6.4 Solvation Properties......Page 110
Acknowledgments......Page 112
References......Page 113
7.1 Introduction......Page 115
7.2.1 Water at Very Low Temperatures......Page 116
7.2.2 Volume Fluctuations......Page 117
7.3 Why Water Has Anomalies......Page 118
7.3.1 The Liquid–Liquid Phase Transition Hypothesis......Page 119
7.3.2 The Singularity-Free Interpretation......Page 120
7.4 What Are the Full Implic ations of the Unusual Properties of Water?......Page 121
7.4.2 Connecting the Two Interpretations......Page 122
7.5 Are These Anomalies Exclusive Properties of Water?......Page 123
7.5.2 The Liquid–Liquid Critical Point......Page 124
7.5.3 Condition for the Liquid–Liquid Critical Point......Page 125
7.5.4 The Density Behavior......Page 126
7.6 Conclusions......Page 127
References......Page 128
8.1 Introduction......Page 133
8.2 Ab Initio Quantum Chemistry......Page 135
8.3 Molecular and Thermodynamic Properties of Water......Page 137
8.4 Chemical Tuning of the Fundamental Constants......Page 138
8.5 Spawning Counterfactual Chemistry from the Born– Oppenheimer Separation......Page 142
8.6 Perturbing the Pauli Principle......Page 143
References......Page 146
9.1 Introduction......Page 149
9.2 Reverse Micelles......Page 150
9.3 Properties of the Water Pool in Reverse Micelles......Page 153
9.4 Solvation in Reverse Micelles......Page 160
9.5 Reverse Micelle as Media for Biologically Relevant Reactions......Page 163
9.6 Concluding Remarks......Page 164
References......Page 165
Part III Water in Biochemistry......Page 169
10.1 Introduction......Page 171
10.3 Asking "Why?" Questions About the Structure of DNA......Page 172
10.4 Synthesis as a Way of Testing Answers to "Why?" Questions in Biology......Page 173
10.5 Synthesis as a Tool to Prevent Self Deception......Page 174
10.7 Is Water Adapted to Biomolecules?......Page 176
10.9 The Properties of Water Are Not Very Finely Tuned to Life......Page 177
10.10 More Intellectual Process......Page 178
10.11 The Logical Dialectic as an Intellectual Process: Consider Water......Page 179
10.12 If Not Water, What?......Page 182
10.13 Conclusion......Page 186
References......Page 187
11.2.1 The Triple Alpha Reaction......Page 191
11.3 A Possible Biological Example: The Stability of a Native Protein......Page 192
11.4 Illustrations from Model Liquid Systems......Page 194
11.4.1 Determining Liquid Structures......Page 195
11.4.2 Liquid Tertiary Butanol......Page 196
11.4.3 Aqueous Solutions of Amphiphiles......Page 199
References......Page 201
12.1 Introduction......Page 203
12.3 VHP36......Page 204
12.5 Comparison of the Structures of VHP36 and BBSP 341......Page 206
TA BLE 12.1 Burial of Nonpolar Side Chains, Peptide Groups, Polar Groups, and Ionizable Groups in the Folding of VHP36 and BBSP 341a......Page 207
TA BLE 12.2 Estimates of the Major Forces Contributing to the Stability of VHP36 and BBSP 341......Page 208
TA BLE 12.3 Thermodynamics of Hydration of a Peptide Group and a Leucine Side Chain......Page 209
12.7.2 Coulombic Interactions among the Charged Groups......Page 210
TA BLE 12.4......Page 211
12.8 Fine-Tuning Protein Stability......Page 212
References......Page 214
Missing Chapters 13 & 14 (pp 203-218)......Page 217
Part IV Water, the Solar System, and the Origin of Life......Page 233
15.1 Introduction......Page 235
15.2.1 Accretion History......Page 236
15.2.2 Evidence for an Early Water Ocean......Page 237
15.3.2 D/H Ratios......Page 238
15.3.3 Noble Gases......Page 239
15.3.4 Siderophile Elements in Earth’s Mantle......Page 240
15.4.1 Primordial Gas Captured from the Solar Nebula......Page 241
15.4.2 Adsorpti on of Water onto Grains in the Accretion Disk......Page 242
15.4.3 Comets......Page 243
15.4.6 Water and Organics......Page 244
15.5 Outstanding Challenges......Page 245
References......Page 246
16.1 Introduction......Page 249
16.2 Water and its Complexes in Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate......Page 251
16.3 Atmospheric Water– Air Interfaces......Page 253
16.4 Atmospheric Aerosols......Page 254
16.5 The Emergence of Biochemistry from Randomness at the Molecular Level......Page 256
16.6 Conclusions......Page 257
References......Page 258
17.1 Introduction......Page 263
17.3 Single versus Multiple Biopolymer Life......Page 264
17.6 Life with a Different Solvent......Page 265
17.7 Silica-Based (Silane) Life......Page 267
17.9 Discussion......Page 269
References......Page 271
18.1 A Prelude on the Symmetry of Origins and the Interfacial Nature of Self- Organization......Page 273
18.3 Chemical Evolution as Process: System and Molecular Level Requirements......Page 276
18.4 The Air– Water Interface and Adsorption......Page 278
18.5 The Bubble–Aerosol–Droplet Supercycle: A Universal Planetary Hydrology Cycle......Page 279
18.6 The Bubble–Aerosol–Droplet Supercycle: A Universal " Organic Weather" Cycle......Page 281
18.7 Experimental Support for the Bubble–Aerosol–Droplet Model in Chemical Evolution......Page 284
18.9 The Semi- closed Nature of the Bubble–Aerosol–Droplet Cycle......Page 285
18.10 Energetics: Potential Mechanisms of Bubble-Induced Chemistries......Page 287
18.11 The Heterogeneous Chemistry of Aerosols......Page 288
18.12 On Amphiphilic Bilayers and Things to Go in Them......Page 290
18.13 From Chemical Evolution to Biogenesis......Page 291
18.14 Does the Elemental Chemistry of Life Mirror the Sea-Surface Microlayer?......Page 293
18.15 Do Martian Blueberries have Pits? Consequences and Artifacts of " Organic " Weather Cycles on an Early Mars......Page 295
18.16 Robustness and Diversity of Explorations through Chemical Phase Space......Page 298
Acknowledgments......Page 299
References......Page 300
19.1 Introduction: A Taxonomy of Water- Life......Page 305
19.2 The Curious Existence of Liquids......Page 307
19.2.1 Life without Liquids......Page 308
19.2.2 How to Make a Liquid......Page 309
19.4 The Many Faces of Water......Page 311
19.5 Conclusion......Page 312
References......Page 313
Part V Water—The Human Dimension......Page 315
20.1 Introduction......Page 317
20.2 The Beginnings......Page 318
20.3 The Coming of Physicotheology......Page 319
20.4 Fine-Tuning the Arguments: Macroscale......Page 323
20.5 Hydrotheology after Darwin......Page 328
20.6 Modern Examples of Fine - Tuning on the Microscale......Page 332
20.7 Conclusion......Page 337
References......Page 338
21.1 Henderson's View of Water's Special Role in Life......Page 341
21.2 Henderson, Design, and Teleology......Page 343
21.3 Arguments to and from Design......Page 344
21.4 Uncoupling Design and Teleology......Page 347
21.5 Emergent Complexity......Page 352
References......Page 353
22.1 Introduction......Page 359
22.2 Natural Theology......Page 361
22.3 Physical Theology and the Divine Watch maker......Page 363
22.4 The Second Education of a Chemist......Page 365
22.5 The Dilemma of Existence......Page 367
References......Page 369
Color Insert
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