Using a chromatographic technique, the adsorption of the polyribonucleotides s-RNA and poly-A provided with tri-n-butylammonium ions from an aqueous solution on to the surface of polymeric hydrocarbon granules hss been demonstrated. The aqueous solution from which adsorption takes place is the aqueous phase which results on agitating together n-butanol (loo), water (130), tri-n-butylamine (lo), n-butyl ether (lo), and glacial acetic acid (2.5) (parts by volume). Microporous polyethylene granules, microporous fluorinated polyethylene granules, and solid grains of polyethylene powder have been employed aa adsorbenta. The adsorbed polyribonucleotides could be eluted by aqueous solutions of sodium chloride, urea, or triethylammonium acetate. s-RNA with tri-n-butylammonium counterions could also be adsorbed on polymethacrylic acid in tri-n-butylammonium form and eluted therefrom with aqueous urea solutions.
It is considered that the adsorption from aqueous solution of polyribonucleotides with tri-n-butylammonium counterions on polymeric hydrocarbon surfaces is mediated by hydrophobic bond formation. Van der Waals forces may also contribute to the bonding.
It is suggested that studies on the adsorption of polynucleotides provided with counterions possessing nonpolar groups a t an aqueous solution-polymeric hydrocarbon interface may permit the elaboration of experimental systems to serve as models for the evaluation of the role of hydrophobic and van der Waals bonding forces in the interaction of polynucleotides with cell membrane surfaces.
* In a preliminary study Dr. Jack Goldstein of the Rockefeller Institute has kindly determined that E. wli B s-RNA fractions obtained by salt step gradient elution of reversed-phase columns differ as to their content of specific amino acid acceptor species of s-RNA.
The pH of the aqueous solution so prepared was 5.9-6.1. This study will be reported in detail elsewhere.