Metastable behaviour of saturated phosphatidylethanolamines: a densitometric study

✍ Scribed by Rumiana Koynova; Hans-Jürgen Hinz

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 404 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-3084
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-3084(90)90061-u

✦ Synopsis

The specific volumes of saturated phosphatidylethanolamines having 12--18 carbon atoms per chain and the volume changes resulting from their temperature-induced phase transitions have been investigated using differential scanning densitometry. No dependence on acyl-chain length has been found for the molar volume changes associated with the L c --" L transition, while the L~-" L transition showed AV-changes that increase with the length of the acyl-chains. The independence of acyl-chaln length of the molar volume changes concomittant with the L ~ Lo transition can be rationalized by the assumption that the volume changes result from the combined effects of hydration and acyl chain melting. An interesting corollary of the present studies is the disappearance of metastability at chain lengths of about 20--22 carbon atoms.