Molecular dynamics study of the hydrophobic 6,6-ionene oligocation in aqueous solution with sodium halides

Abstract

An explicit water molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is presented of a solution modeling aliphatic 6,6-ionene oligocations mixed with low-molecular-weight electrolytes. In all cases, the co-ions were sodium cations and the counterions were fluoride, chloride, bromide, or iodide anions. The simple point charge/extended (SPC/E) model was used to describe water. The results of the simulation at T = 278 K (the data for 298 K were obtained earlier) and T = 318 K are presented in the form of pair distributions between various atoms and/or between ions in the system. We were interested in how temperature variation modifies the ion-specific effects, revealed by the various pair distribution functions (PDFs). The results were compared with previous calculations for the less hydrophobic 3,3-ionene solutions. Simulations of 6,6-ionene solutions containing mixtures of fluoride and iodide counter-ions at T = 298 K were also presented.