Charged macromolecules, electrostatic interactions

A very simple version of this approach was used in early applications. An alchemical charging calculation was done using a distance-based cutoff for electrostatic interactions, either with a finite or a periodic model. Then a cut-off correction equal to the Born free energy, Eq. (38), was added, with the spherical radius taken to be = R. This is a convenient but ill-defined approximation, because the system with a cutoff is not equivalent to a spherical charge of radius R. A more rigorous cutoff correction was derived recently that is applicable to sufficiently homogeneous systems [54] but appears to be impractical for macromolecules in solution. 

The ionic strength dependence of intrinsic viscosity is function of molecular structure and protein folding, ft is well known that the conformational and rheological properties of charged biopolymer solutions are dependent not only upon electrostatic interactions between macromolecules but also upon interactions between biopolymer chains and mobile ions. Due electrostatic interactions the specific viscosity of extremely dilute solutions seems to increase infinitely with decreasing ionic concentration. Variations of the intrinsic viscosity of a charged polyampholite with ionic strength have problems of characterization. 

The electrochemical response of analytes at the CNT-modified electrodes is influenced by the surfactants which are used as dispersants. CNT-modified electrodes using cationic surfactant CTAB as a dispersant showed an improved catalytic effect for negatively charged small molecular analytes, such as potassium ferricyanide and ascorbic acid, whereas anionic surfactants such as SDS showed a better catalytic activity for a positively charged analyte such as dopamine. This effect, which is ascribed mainly to the electrostatic interactions, is also observed for the electrochemical response of a negatively charged macromolecule such as DNA on the CNT (surfactant)-modified electrodes (see Fig. 15.12). An oxidation peak current near +1.0 V was observed only at the CNT/CTAB-modified electrode in the DNA solution (curve (ii) in Fig. 15.12a). The differential pulse voltammetry of DNA at the CNT/CTAB-modified electrode also showed a sharp peak current, which is due to the oxidation of the adenine residue in DNA (curve (ii) in Fig. 15.12b). The different effects of surfactants for CNTs to promote the electron transfer of DNA are in agreement with the electrostatic interactions... 

In a qualitative way, colloids are stable when they are electrically charged (we will not consider here the stability of hydrophilic colloids - gelatine, starch, proteins, macromolecules, biocolloids - where stability may be enhanced by steric arrangements and the affinity of organic functional groups to water). In a physical model of colloid stability particle repulsion due to electrostatic interaction is counteracted by attraction due to van der Waal interaction. The repulsion energy depends on the surface potential and its decrease in the diffuse part of the double layer the decay of the potential with distance is a function of the ionic strength (Fig. 3.2c and Fig. 

Modification typically takes advantage of electrostatic interactions between charges on the surface of the macromolecules and the polar headgroups of surfactants. We reasoned that the host-guest interactions at the nanoparticle-solution interface investigated in this work could be used for similar purposes. (From Liu et ah, 2001)... 

Neutral polymer-polymer complex composed of macromolecules carrying charges of opposite sign causing the macromolecules to be bound together by electrostatic interactions. 

Concerning the electrostatic interaction of charged macromolecules with lipids and segregation in mixed films. I would like to point out that (to be published in Electrical Phenomena at Membrane Level, p. 273 Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1977) ... 

The electrostatic forces also play an important role in the conformation and structure of macromolecules such as polymers, polyelectrolytes, and proteins. The self-assembly of proteins from disks to virus is triggered by electrostatic interactions between neighboring subunits. In the case of polyelectrolytes (polymer molecules with charges) and charged colloids, transport behavior such as rheology is also affected significantly by charge effects, as we have already seen in Chapter 4. 

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