Theoretical Studies of the Solvation, Dynamics, and Photochemistry of Ethylene, Retinal Protonated Schiff Base, Oligocellulose, and Gd(III) Clusters

Abstract

The solution dynamics of an anomerically pure series of cellulose oligomers have been studied by 13C NMR relaxation techniques and compared to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We found evidence of anisotropic motion across the series, with experimentally determined order parameters (S 2) ranging from 0.30 to 0.52 and computationally determined S 2 values of 0.40 to 0.73. Together experiment and simulation indicate that each glycosidic linkage becomes much more rigid as the oligosaccharide increases in length.