Vibrational absorption and vibrational circular dichroism spectra of leucine in water under different pH conditions: hydrogen-bonding interactions with water.

Vibrational absorption (VA) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy have been used to study leucine, a flexible branched-chain amino acid, in aqueous solution. The VA spectra in the range of 1800-1250 cm(-1) of leucine in D(2)O under three representative pHs from strongly acidic (pH = 1), near neutral (pH = 6), to strongly basic (pH = 13), have been measured. The related VCD spectrum has been obtained under near neutral condition. Searches have been carried out to identify the most stable conformers of the Zwitterionic, protonated, and deprotonated forms of leucine in water. The geometry optimization, harmonic frequency calculations, and VA and VCD intensities have been computed at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level with the implicit polarizable continuum solvation model. While the observed VA spectra under three pHs can be well interpreted with the inclusion of the implicit solvation model, both implicit and explicit solvation models have been found to be crucial for the adequate interpretation of the complex VCD features observed. Molecular dynamics simulations and radial distribution functions have been used to aid the modeling of the leucine-(water)(N) clusters. It has been recognized that the insertion of a water molecule between the COO(-) and NH(3) (+) functional groups in the explicit solvated clusters is critical to reproduce the VCD signatures observed. Furthermore, the inclusion of the implicit bulk water environment has been found to be essential to lock water molecules, which are directly hydrogen bonded to leucine, into the positions expected in solution. The application of the explicit and implicit solvation models simultaneously allows new insights into the hydrogen bonding network surrounding leucine in aqueous solution and the role of the surrounding bulk water in stabilizing such hydrogen-bonding network.