Davydov solitons in polypeptides

Abstract
The experimental evidence for self-trapping of amide-I (CO stretching) vibrational energy in crystalline acetanilide (a model protein) is reviewed and related to A. S. Davydov’s theory of solitons as a mechanism for energy storage and transport in protein. Particular attention is paid to the construction of quantum states that contain N amide-I vibrational quanta. It is noted that the ´ N = 2’ state is almost exactly resonant with the free energy that is released upon hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate.

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