Dear Bob,
I like your thermodynamic analysis of "bubble" formation and gating in ion
channels. It is reminiscent of a similar analysis of hydrophobic attraction
between proteins, which can be attributed to "drying" of confined water
(see the nice review by David Chandler in Nature 437, 640 (2005)). Recently
we extended this analysis to the case of charged globular proteins (J.
Dzubiella and JPH, J.Chem.Phys. 121, 5514 (2004)). As regards
intermittency, a more complete version of our work with Rosalind and Simone
Melchionna (your ref. 136) appeared in J.Chem.Phys. 119, 3905 (2003) (this
contains estimates of free energy barriers to ion permeation), while the
influence of electric fields on ion permeation of hydrophobic nanopores was
investigated by J. Dzubiella and JPH, J.Chem.Phys. 122, 234706 (2005).
With best wishes,
Jean-Pierre
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