ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Salt bridge (protein and supramolecular)

Okay kiddo, so when scientists talk about a salt bridge, they're actually talking about a special way that molecules, like proteins or other supramolecular structures, can interact with each other. You see, when molecules come together, they can sometimes have a charge, kind of like the positive or negative poles on a magnet. And when two poles of a magnet are opposite, they attract each other, right?

Well, the same thing can happen with molecules. Sometimes, two molecules will have opposite charges and they will want to come together to balance out their charges. But sometimes, they can't get close enough to touch each other, because they might be separated by something else.

That's where the salt bridge comes in. A salt bridge is a bridge-like structure made up of charged molecules, like ions, that can connect two other molecules that are too far apart to touch each other. It's kind of like a bridge that allows two people on opposite sides of a river to connect with each other.

So, when scientists talk about a salt bridge in a protein or other supramolecular structure, they're talking about a special arrangement of atoms and molecules that allows different parts of the structure to interact with each other, even if they can't touch directly. This is really important for things like enzyme reactions, where different parts of a protein need to work together to break down or build up other molecules.

In summary, a salt bridge is like a bridge made of charged molecules that can connect two other molecules that can't touch each other directly. Scientists use them to help different parts of supramolecular structures like proteins work together.