Physics Commons^™

Electrostatic Interactions At Membrane-Water Interfaces And Distribution Of 2, 4, 6-Trichlorophenol In A Membrane Model System, Isolde Sieder

Dissertations and Theses

It is generally accepted that biological membranes consist of a lipid bilayer matrix with proteins incorporated into the lipid bilayer. Typically, these membranes are negatively charged due to the presence of negatively charged lipids in the bilayer as well as negatively charged molecular groups on proteins. Biologically active molecules, such as environmental pollutants, enter the membrane from the aqueous phase by adsorption or partitioning into the lipid bilayer. The thesis consists of two parts. Part I is a computational study of spatial distribution of electric potential in the aqueous portion of the membrane-water interface using two models of charge distribution: …