Overcharging in biological systems: reversal of electrophoretic mobility of aqueous polyaspartate by multivalent cations

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 May 4;108(18):186101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.186101. Epub 2012 May 3.

Abstract

Charge reversal as an extreme case of charge compensation is directly observed by capillary electrophoresis for a negatively charged peptide in aqueous solutions of trivalent cations. Atomistic and coarse-grained simulations provide molecular interpretation of this effect showing that it is largely of electrostatic origin with a minor contribution of chemical specificity of the salt ions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cations / chemistry
  • Electrolytes / chemistry
  • Electrophoresis, Capillary
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Solutions
  • Static Electricity
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Cations
  • Electrolytes
  • Peptides
  • Solutions
  • Water
  • polyaspartate