Proton transfer reactions in carbon nanotubes endohedrally functionalized with selected polar amino acid sidechains

Graphical abstract: Free Energies of activation and reaction for intramolecular proton transfer between polar amino acid sidechains and hydroxyl groups inside the core of endohedrally functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes. Highlights: ► EVB based free energy simulation of proton transfer in hydrophobic confinement. ► Aminoacid sidechain and OH group suspended within carbon nanotube act as reactants. ► Donors like His and Glu are efficient in confinement aided by local hydrogen bonds. -- Abstract: We use the empirical-valence-bond (EVB) theory to investigate intramolecular proton transfer reactions between a selected set of polar amino acid sidechains and hydroxyl groups suspended inside carbon nanotubes to model the effect of hydrophobic confinement on the energetics of proton transfer involving (i) translocation of an excess protonic charge (with protonated histidine sidechain as donor) and (ii) transformation of a neutral reactant state to a charge-separated product state (with sidechains of Asp, Glu, Ser and Thr as donor). In both the cases, confinement in hydrophobic medium is found to change the associated free energies compared to their respective values in the bulk solution phase. Presence of stable hydrogen bonding within the pore is found to have a significant effect on both free energies of reaction and activation and thus governs the thermodynamic and kinetic feasibilities of these intramolecular reactions in hydrophobic confinement.