Note: Recombination of H+ and OH− ions along water wires

Transport and recombination of hydrogen and hydroxide ions along a hydrogen-bonded water wire are studied by molecular dynamics simulation using a dissociating model for water. The results are compared with a recent CP-MD study of neutralization in bulk water [A. Hassanali, M. K. Prakrash, H. Eshet, and M. Parrinello, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 108, 20410 (2011)]. The translocation of H+ and OH− along the wire is faster than in the bulk water, followed by compression of the water wire when two water molecules separate the transported ions. Neutralization occurs with the concerted transfer of three protons as in the bulk water, followed by energy dissipation along the water chain