Experimental configurational landscapes in aqueous solutions

Structures and interactions between molecules in solution are modulated by the solvent. Changes in solvent conditions can lead to structural changes and transitions such as the assembly processes seen in micelle formation and protein folding. In the case of even quite complex liquid systems, we can now explore experimentally the configurational energy landscapes that underlie these processes. Using an aqueous solution of an amphiphile as an example, the structural transitions induced by changes in temperature, concentration and added salt are examined at the molecular level, and some critical regions of the landscape identified. Moreover, the potentials of mean force that quantitatively describe the solvent-modulated interaction between molecules in solution can now be experimentally accessed.