Model of hydrophobic attraction in two and three dimensions

An earlier one-dimensional lattice model of hydrophobic attraction is extended to two and three dimensions and studied by Monte Carlo simulation. The solvent-mediated contribution to the potential of mean force between hydrophobic solute molecules and the solubility of the solute are determined. As in the earlier model, an inverse relation is observed between the strength and range of the hydrophobic attraction. The mean force no longer varies monotonically with distance, as it does in one dimension, but has some oscillations, reflecting the greater geometrical complexity of the lattice in the higher dimensions. In addition to the strong attraction at short distances, there is now also a local minimum in the potential of depth about kT at a distance of three lattice spacings in two dimensions and one of depth about 2kT at a distance of two lattice spacings in three dimensions. The solubility of the solute is found to decrease with increasing temperature at low temperatures, which is another signature of the hydrophobic effect and also agrees with what had been found in the one-dimensional model. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)50130-5].