pH-dependent X-ray Photoelectron Chemical Shifts and Surface Distribution of Cysteine in Aqueous Solution

Author(s)

Carravetta, Vincenzo ^[1] ; de Abreu Gomes, Anderson Herbert ^{[2, 3]} ; Monti, Susanna ^[4] ; Mocellin, Alexandra ^[5] ; Marinho, Ricardo R. T. ^{[5, 6]} ; Bjorneholm, Olle ^[7] ; Agren, Hans ^{[7, 8]} ; de Brito, Arnaldo Naves ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] CNR, IPCF, Inst Chem & Phys Proc, Via G Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa - Italy

^[2] LNLS, BR-13084971 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Phys Gleb Wataghin, Dept Appl Phys, BR-13083859 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[4] CNR, ICCOM, Inst Chem Organometall Cpds, Via G Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa - Italy

^[5] Brasilia Univ, Inst Phys, Box 4455, BR-70910970 Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[6] Univ Fed Bahia, Inst Phys, BR-40170115 Salvador, BA - Brazil

^[7] Uppsala Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, S-75236 Uppsala - Sweden

^[8] KTH Royal Inst Technol, Theoret Chem & Biol, Sch Chem Biotechnol & Hlth, SE-10044 Stockholm - Sweden

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Physical Chemistry B; v. 123, n. 17, p. 3776-3785, MAY 2 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The distribution and protonation states of amino acids in water droplets are of considerable concern in studies on the formation of clouds in the atmosphere as well as in many biological contexts. In the present work we use the amino acid cysteine as a prototypical example and explore the protonation states of this molecule in aqueous solution, which are strongly affected by the acidity of the environment and also can show different distributions between surface and bulk. We use a combination of X-ray photoelectron chemical shift measurements, density functional theory calculations of the shifts, and reactive force field molecular dynamics simulations of the underlying structural dynamics. We explore how the photoelectron spectra distinctly reflect the different protonation states that are generated by variation of the solution acidity and how the distribution of these protonation states can differ between bulk and surface regions. At specific pH values, we find that the distribution of the cysteine species at the surface is quite different from that in bulk, in particular, for the appearance in the surface region of species which do not exist in bulk. Some ramifications of this finding are discussed. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/11986-5 - Generation and storage of New Energy: bringing technological development for the country
• Grantee: Ana Flávia Nogueira
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program