Spheroidal approximation, macromolecules

The Stokes-Einstein equation has already been presented. It was noted that its vahdity was restricted to large solutes, such as spherical macromolecules and particles in a continuum solvent. The equation has also been found to predict accurately the diffusion coefficient of spherical latex particles and globular proteins. Corrections to Stokes-Einstein for molecules approximating spheroids is given by Tanford. Since solute-solute interactions are ignored in this theory, it applies in the dilute range only. 

A process has been described, where pol5maers in solution are effectively diluted to disentangle and isolate the individual macromolecules far from one another in the solution, and then caused to contract from the normal, random coil conformation to adopt an approximately spheroidal configuration. Then, the macromolecules are stabilized in this conformation by crosslinking. So the dissolved pol5mier becomes internally stabilized in its spheroidal configuration. 

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