Intramolecular
Vibrations in Low-Frequency
Normal Modes of Amino Acids: l‑Alanine in the Neat
Solid State
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Abstract
This
paper presents a theoretical analysis of the low-frequency
phonons of l-alanine by using the solid-state density functional
theory at the Γ point. We are particularly interested in the
intramolecular vibrations accessing low-frequency phonons via harmonic
coupling with intermolecular vibrations. A new mode-analysis method
is introduced to quantify the vibrational characteristics of such
intramolecular vibrations. We find that the torsional motions of COO<sup>–</sup> are involved in low-frequency phonons, although COO<sup>–</sup> is conventionally assumed to undergo localized torsion.
We also find the broad distributions of intramolecular vibrations
relevant to important functional groups of amino acids, e.g., the
COO<sup>–</sup> and NH<sub>3</sub><sup>+</sup> torsions, in
the low-frequency phonons. The latter finding is illustrated by the
concept of frequency distribution of vibrations. These findings may
lead to immediate implications in other amino acid systems