U of L chemist wants to unravel mystery of water
June 20th, 2005
Robert Buchanan
Surprisingly little is known about the structure of water chains in nature, said U of L chemistry professor Robert M. Buchanan, whose lab recently started a new research program to evaluate the structure and property of water in crystals containing imidazole compounds.
Buchanan has been working with these compounds, which are useful for the treatment and prevention of diseases and other health disorders, for more than 20 years.
With his new research, Buchanan’s goal is to develop functional proton wires, which model important biological systems for use in fuel cells, and to model the different structures of water on the surface of proteins.
“One-dimensional water chains, or proton wires, constitute a potentially important form of water that is poorly understood,” Buchanan said. “Many fundamental biological processes appear to depend on the unique properties of water chains, such as aquaporin proteins, which transport water in and out of cells, and the influenza virus A M2 protein that uses water chains to transport protons.”
Most of our current understanding of these systems comes from computer modeling studies, Buchanan said.
“So far, we have evaluated the structures and properties of eight compounds that have very unique and different hydrate structures,” he said. “This illustrates the complexity of the problem and the tremendous versatility of water to adopt different structures in the presence of organic molecules.
“Clearly water is a very mysterious molecule and there is still a lot to learn about its role in nature.”
How can the knowledge generated through this research be used in the real world?
“We still do not have a clear understanding of how biological molecules interact with water,” Buchanan said. “More specifically, the role of water in fundamental processes such as protein folding, proton and electron transfer, and the communication between molecules is poorly understood, as is the structure of water on or near the surface of proteins.”
For example, during respiration oxygen is reduced to water. This reaction is started, or catalyzed, by an elaborate arrangement of membrane proteins that regulate the transfer of electrons and protons involved in the production of water.
“A better understanding of this and related processes will improve our ability to fight diseases and develop better catalysts,” Buchanan said.
Also, more of our energy needs will eventually be met by the use of fuel cells related to the devices used on the space shuttle and hybrid cars, he said.
“Fuel cells generate electricity from the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen that produces water. As in biological systems, careful control of protons is crucial to the efficient operation of fuel cells.”
Reprinted from The Portal, College of Arts and Sciences, Spring 2005
