Kinetic pathways of water exchange in the first hydration shell of magnesium: Influence of water model and ionic force field

Water exchange between the first and second hydration shell is essential for the role of Mg2+ in biochemical processes. In order to provide microscopic insights into the exchange mechanism, we resolve the exchange pathways by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and transition path sampling. Since the exchange kinetics relies on the choice of the water model and the ionic force field, we systematically investigate the influence of seven different polarizable and non-polarizable water and three different Mg2+ models. In all cases, water exchange can occur either via an indirect or direct mechanism (exchanging molecules occupy different/same position on the water octahedron). In addition, the results reveal a crossover from an interchange dissociative (Id) to an associative (Ia) reaction mechanism dependent on the range of the Mg2+–water interaction potential of the respective force field. Standard non-polarizable force fields follow the Id mechanism in agreement with experimental results. By contrast, polarizable and long-ranged non-polarizable force fields follow the Ia mechanism. Our results provide a comprehensive view on the influence of the water model and the ionic force field on the exchange dynamics and the foundation to assess the choice of the force field in biomolecular simulations.