http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051124220528.htm




comments please,


peace,

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051124220528.htm comments please, peace,I am glad to see you reading things like this, so I will try to help you with a few facts not in the article that may help you understand:

Pure water is a very complex and unusual substance. For example it expands as it cools below 4 degrees C, and if this were not true, life would be impossible as rivers and oceans would freeze from the bottom up and never melt. Most substances contract as they become solid. From your usual posts, I assume you have made candles and already know this from direct observation of the depressed center of the candle formed.

The chemical formulae for water is not H2O, if one is trying to be correct. It should be something like (H2O)x to indicate that the H2O molecules are always in tight dynamic clusters of x H2O molecules, where x is a constantly changing number typically around 6 to 10.

This is because the H2O molecule is "polar" or has one end + and one end, where the oxygen is negative. It is not H-O-H in a linear line as many erroneously believe, but the two Hs are off to one side with a 105 degree angle between them (almost sure my memory is correct on this value).

Thus, there is a strong statistical tendency for the negative O of one molecule to nest in the gap between another's two Hs and short chains do form only to be broke up in nanoseconds by a collision. Hence I said the correct formulae is (H2O)x

Now more directly to your question:
What probably is going on as the two proteins are being slightly separated (etc. I only skimmed the article) is that the + twin H 105 degree end of a H2O molecule is attracted into the gap being formed and this local + charge facilities the "tunneling electron" crossing the gap.

I will not say anything about "tunneling" - I do not think you are ready for that yet, but despite my sometimes-harsh comments, I do have hope for your gaining a deeper, more standard view of many things by your active participation here. At least I hope so.

The article states:
"proteins creates unexpectedly favorable conditions for electrons to "tunnel" from one protein to another....electrons take advantage of the proteins in tunneling between those two molecules. But there is an intermediate distance where the proteins are beyond contact and the water molecules start moving into this interface....Electrons can then tunnel between "donor" atoms at the tip of one protein to "acceptor" atoms on the other protein. Along the way, the electrons follow multiple pathways through these water molecules that facilitate the transport more strongly than expected....You should think about the structure of water as guiding or shepherding the electrons."

Keep in mind that proteins have different folding structures.

Then remember that water fluctuates ions: H20 =>< H + OH).
Water continuously ionizes between hydroxide ions (0H-) and hydrogen ions (H+).
What's to keep the hydrogen ions (H+) from propogating through the right tunnel, or protein structure?