Circular hydrogen bond networks on the surface of β-ribofuranose in aqueous solution

This paper examines the hydration structure on the surface of β-ribofuranose in aqueous solution, using the ab initio molecular dynamics method. In particular, we focus on circular hydrogen bond networks involving two ribofuranose oxygens and three water molecules. In our simulations, the circular hydrogen bond networks near the ring oxygen of β-ribofuranose are found to be significantly influenced by the orientation of the hydroxymethyl group. The arrangements of hydrogen bonds observed in the circular hydrogen bond networks are both homodromic and antidromic. To explain these observations, we analyze the electronic properties of the first-hydration-shell water molecules and the OH groups of β-ribofuranose, using the centers of their maximally localized Wannier functions. The dipole moments of the proton-accepting first-hydration-shell water molecules in our well-defined circular hydrogen bond networks are found to increase by about 0.3 D compared with that of liquid water, indicating the relatively strong polarization effects created by the interactions between the OH groups of the solute and the surrounding water molecules. Our analysis also implies that circular H-bond networks cannot be fully explained from a simple geometrical point of view.