Molecular dynamics simulations of the oxidation of benzyl alcohol by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH) have been carried out. The following three states have been studied: HLADH.PhCH2OH.NAD(+) (MDI), HLADH.PhCH2O-.NAD(+) (MD2), and HLADH.PhCHO.NADH (MD3). MDI, MD2, and MD3 simulations were carried out on one of the subunits of the dimeric enzyme covered in a 32-Angstrom -radius sphere of TlP3P water centered on the active site. The proton produced on ionization of the alcohol when HLADH.PhCH2OH.NAD(+) --> HLADH.PhCH2O-.NAD(+) is transferred from the active site to solvent water via a hydrogen bonding network consisting of serine48 hydroxyl, ribose 2 '- and 3 ' -hydroxyl groups, and Hist51. Hydrogen bonding of the 3 ' OH of ribose to Ile269 carbonyl maintains this proton in position to be transferred to water. Molecular dynamic simulations have been employed to track water1287 from the TIP3 water pool to the active site, thus exhibiting the mode of entrance of water to the active site. With time the water 1287 accumulates in two different positions in order to accept the proton from the ribose 3 ' -OH and from His51. There can be identified two structural substates for proton passage. In the first substate the imidazole Ne2 of His51 is adjacent to the nicotinamide ribose CY-OH and hydrogen bonding distances for proton transfer through the hydrogen bonded relay series PhCH(2)OH(...)Ser48-OH(...)Ribose2 ' -OH(...)His51(...)OH(2) (path 1) average 2.0, 2.0, and 2.1 Angstrom and (for His51(...)OH(2)) minimal distances less or equal to 2.5 Angstrom. The structure for path 1 is present 20% of the time span. And in the second substate, there are two possible proton passages: path I as before and path 2. Path 2 involves the hydrogen-bonded relay series PhCH(2)OH(...)Ser48-OH(...)Ribose2 ' -OH(...)Ribose3 ' -OH(...)His51(...)OH(2) with the average bonding distances being 2.0, 2.0, 2.1, and 2.0 Angstrom and (for His51(....)OH(2)) Minimal distances less or equal to 2.5 A (20% probability of the time span), respectively. During the molecular dynamics simulation the NAD(+) ribose conformations have stabilized at the C2 ' -endo-C3 ' -exo or the C2 ' -endo conformations. With the C2 ' -endo conformation the first and second substates are able to persist for different time spans, while with the C2 ' -endo-C3 ' -exo conformation the only possible pathway involves the first substate, For both first and second substates the fluctuation of the distances between the ribose-OH protons and N epsilon2 of His51 imidazole ring is partially contributed by the "windshield wiper" motion of the His51 imidazole ring. Since the imidazole of His-51 contributes only about 10-fold to activity, as estimated from the decrease in activity upon substitution with a Gln, there must be an alternate route for the proton to pass to solvent without going through this histidine. A third pathway involves ribose C3 ' -OH and Ile-269. In MD2, near attack conformers (NACs) for hydride transfer from PhCH2O- to NAD(+) represent similar to 60% of E-S conformers. The molecular dynamic study of MD3 at mildly basic pH reveals that reactive ground state conformers (NACs) for hydride transfer from NADH to PhCHO amount to 12 mol % of conformers. In MD3, anisotropic bending of the dihydronicotinamide ring of NADH (average value of alpha (c) = 4.0 degrees and alpha (n), = 0.5 degrees, respectively) is observed.