Ion specific behavior of halides at surfaces of aqueous basic amino acids is unraveled by means of molecular dynamics simulations employing both nonpolarizable and polarizable force fields. Analysis in terms of density plots, cumulative sums, and residence times provides a clear, robust, and quantitative picture of specific ion effects. Small anions like fluoride, but not heavier halides, exhibits strong affinity for positively charged groups in the order guanidinium > imidazolium > ammonium. In contrast, large soft anions such as iodide are weakly attracted to nonpolar regions of the amino acids. Because interactions of halides with positively charged groups exhibit a local character and are not overwhelmingly strong, similar behavior will be observed (in an additive sense) as well at surfaces of hydrated proteins.
The gas‐liquid interface of binary mixtures of argon and krypton is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. Surface tension and local pressure profiles are extracted from the simulations and cast into individual molecular contributions. The surface excess of argon is rationalized in terms of the relative strength of van der Waals interactions.
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