Force as a useful variable in reactions: unfolding RNA.

Abstract

The effect of force on the thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions is described. The key parameters are the difference in end-to-end distance between reactant and product for thermodynamics, and the distance to the transition state for kinetics. I focus the review on experimental results on force unfolding of RNA. Methods to measure Gibbs free energies and kinetics for reversible and irreversible reactions are described. The use of the worm-like-chain model to calculate the effects of force on thermodynamics and kinetics is illustrated with simple models. The main purpose of the review is to describe the simple experiments that have been done so far, and to encourage more people to enter a field that is new and full of opportunities.