Importance of Translational Entropy of Water in Sustaining Life

Abstract

In the biological system, various processes of the self-assembly and formation of ordered structure (e.g., protein folding, molecular recognition, association of protein molecules, and protein-membrane association) occur to sustain life. By referring to our results of analyses using statistical-mechanical theories, we argue that the entropic gain originating from the translational movement of water molecules play crucially important roles in these processes.