Homouz, Dirar; Hoffman, Byron; Cheung, Margaret S.
Hydrophobic Interactions of Hexane in Nanosized Water Droplets
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B, 113:12337-12342, SEP 10 2009

We use all-atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to study hydrophobic interactions of hexane in nanosized water droplets where the hydrogen bonding network of water molecules is disrupted at the surface. As a result of the competition between the energetics of a hexane molecule and the distribution of water molecules that lost the ability to form hydrogen bonds at the boundary, all-trans-hexane molecules are statistically favored at the surface of a nanosized water droplet and such a statistical trend increases as the size of a nano water droplet decreases. Changes in the radial distribution and the orientation of water molecules surrounding hexane in nanosized water droplets over bulk water are indicative of the finite-size effects on the structural distribution of a short, topologically complex hydrocarbon chain.

DOI:10.1021/jp907318d

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