The hydrocarbon interior of a lipid bilayer at has relative permittivity
PHYSICS · Multi-part · Fermi University Physics · Condensed Matter, Materials & Soft Matter · Biophysics & Medical Physics · Macromolecules, membranes and cell architecture
Forces, Machines and Signals, Ch Charges in salt water and the assembly of amphiphiles
Problem
The hydrocarbon interior of a lipid bilayer at 298K has relative permittivity εr=2.0. Two singly-charged residues (z1=z2=+1), buried on either side of a transmembrane helix, sit 1.4nm apart.
((a)) Compute the Bjerrum length inside the membrane at 298K.
((b)) Find the electrostatic energy of the buried charge pair, in units of kBT.