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Polymer Molecular Weight (polymer + molecular_weight)
Selected AbstractsBead-to-fiber transition in electrospun polystyreneJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007Goki Eda Abstract The morphological transition, namely bead-to-fiber transition, of electrospun polymer was examined for polystyrene, with its molecular weight ranging from 19,300 to 1,877,000 g/mol. Tetrahydrofuran and N,N -dimethylformamide were used as solvents to examine the effects of solvent properties on the morphological variations. Polymer molecular weight and solvent properties had a significant effect on the morphology of beads as well as fibers. Observation of fiber diameter and its distribution suggested that the effect of molecular weight and solvent may be independent. The critical concentrations at which incipient and complete fibers were observed were found to decrease significantly with molecular weight, as can be expected. The effect of solvents on these critical concentrations was minimal for moderate to high-molecular-weight (>100,000 g/mol) solutions. For low-molecular-weight solutions, the transition occurred at concentrations much lower than those predicted by a model, based exclusively on chain entanglements. Rapid solidification of jet which is expected to occur with concentrated solutions may play a vital role in establishing stable fibers during electrospinning. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007 [source] Development of Electrospun Three-arm Star Poly(, -caprolactone) Meshes for Tissue Engineering ApplicationsMACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE, Issue 8 2010Dario Puppi Abstract We have developed three-dimensional electrospun microfibrous meshes of a novel star branched three-arm poly(, -caprolactone) (*PCL) as potential scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. The processing conditions required to obtain uniform fibers were optimized by studying their influence on fiber morphology and size. Polymer molecular weight and solution feed rate influenced both the mesh microstructure and the tensile properties of the developed mats. Electrospun samples were also tested for their mechanical properties in wet conditions, showing higher yield strength and strain in comparison to that observed in dry conditions. Cell culture experiments employing MC3T3-E1 osteoblast like cells showed good cell viability adhesion and collagen production on the *PCL scaffolds. [source] Spectroelectrochemical Sensing Based on Multimode Selectivity Simultaneously Achievable in a Single Device.ELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 5 2007Abstract Quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine) (QPVP) has been incorporated as an anion exchanger into sol-gel derived silica films for use in a spectroelectrochemical sensor. The preparation, characteristics and performance of these films are described. The films, which are spin-coated onto the surface of a planar optically transparent electrode, are optically transparent and uniform. Scanning electron microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry have been used to examine film structure, thickness and optical properties. These films have been shown both spectroscopically and electrochemically to preconcentrate ferrocyanide, a model analyte for the sensor. The films can be regenerated for multiple measurements by exposure to 1,M KNO3. The effects of polymer molecular weight and storage conditions on film performance are described. The overall response of this film is comparable to the poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride)-silica films previously used for this sensor. [source] Microencapsulation of doxycycline into poly(lactide- co -glycolide) by spray drying technique: Effect of polymer molecular weight on process parametersJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Pradip Patel Abstract Poly(lactide- co -glycolide) (PLGA) polymers with three different molecular weights were prepared, and microparticles were produced by spray drying and water-in-oil-water (w/o/w) double emulsion techniques to encapsulate 86% of doxycycline (DXY), an antibiotic drug, for the use of periodontitis. Placebo and drug-loaded microspheres and pristine DXY were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which indicated no chemical interactions between DXY and PLGA. X-ray diffraction of drug-loaded microspheres confirmed the molecular level dispersion of DXY in PLGA. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed spherical nature and smooth surfaces of the microspheres. Mean particle size as measured by laser light scattering technique ranged between 10 and 25 ,m. In vitro release of DXY performed in 7.4 pH media continued up to 72 h and depended on molecular weight of PLGA and extent of DXY loading. Antimicrobial studies performed on one formulation and placebo microspheres suggested that drug concentrations during in vitro release are above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Staphylococcus aureus growth. Overall, the release studies depended on the molecular weight of PLGA, extent of drug loading, and the method used to prepare microspheres. Statistical analyses of release data performed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method agreed well with experimental observations. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source] Mechanistic understanding of degradation in bioerodible polymers for drug deliveryAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 12 2002Domenico Larobina A new model was developed to understand the mechanism of erosion in bioerodible polymers, which is essential to accurately predict drug release and precisely design controlled release devices. This model takes into account the phenomenon of microphase separation observed for polyanhydrides of certain copolymer compositions, and assumes that erosion is dominated by degradation and, thus, in a system with a fast eroding and a slow eroding species, two rate constants,one for each species,essentially control the evolution of the polymer microstructure. Expressions were derived for the fraction of each monomer released, as well as for the porosity in the system. A partition coefficient accounts for thermodynamic partitioning of a drug into the microdomains. The solutions of the model equations were fitted to experimental data on monomer release kinetics from two polyanhydride systems to obtain the erosion rate constants. Drug release kinetics experiments are compared to the model solution for drug release, and the partition coefficient of the drug is obtained from the fits. The comparisons to the data are promising, while pointing out the limitations of the model. The model does not account for oligomer formation prior to monomer release or for the dependence of the rate constants on parameters such as the degree of crystallinity, the local pH, and the polymer molecular weight. [source] Swelling and polymer erosion for poly(ethylene oxide) tablets of different molecular weights polydispersitiesJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 3 2010Anna Körner Abstract The aim of the study was to determine and compare the degree of swelling and the swelling kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) hydrophilic matrix tablets without any additives for matrixes with different molecular weight polydispersities. A wide range of "mixed" polydisperse PEO tablets were obtained by mixing two PEO batches with average molecular weights of 105 and 2,×,106, respectively. These were compared with "single-batch" tablets with narrower mono-modal molecular weight distributions. A texture analyzer (TA) was used to determine, during the entire dissolution process, the thickness of the "gel" layer, the height of the dry tablet core and the total height of the tablet. The release of polymer from the tablet was also measured using a chromatographic method. Both the swelling histories and the polymer release rates varied strongly with molecular weight and agitation rate, whereas the rate of dissolution of the solid core varied much less with molecular weight. For single-batch and mixed tablets, tuned to give the same release rate, the swelling process was found to be very similar, regardless of the molecular polydispersity (between 1.2 and 8.8). These results support a previously proposed dissolution model with the key assumption of a constant critical viscosity, independent of time or polymer molecular weight, at the surface of the gel layer of a dissolving tablet. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99: 1225,1238, 2010 [source] Effect of molecular weight, temperature, and additives on the moisture sorption properties of polyethylene glycolJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2010Jared A. Baird Abstract Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a hygroscopic polymer that undergoes the phenomenon of deliquescence once a critical relative humidity (RH0) is reached. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the deliquescence behavior of PEG will be affected by the polymer molecular weight, temperature, and the presence of additives. The deliquescence relative humidity for single component (RH0) and binary mixtures (RH0,mix) were measured using an automated gravimetric moisture analyzer at 25 and 40°C. Changes in PEG crystallinity after exposure to moisture were qualitatively assessed using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Optical microscopy was used to visually observe the deliquescence phenomenon. For single component systems, decreasing PEG MW and elevating the temperature resulted in a decrease in the observed RH0. Physical mixtures of acetaminophen and anhydrous citric acid with both PEG 3350 and PEG 100,000 exhibited deliquescence (RH0,mix) at a relative humidity below that of either individual component. Qualitative changes in crystallinity were observed from the X-ray diffractograms for each PEG MW grade at high relative humidities, indicating that phase transformation (deliquescence) of the samples had occurred. In conclusion, it was found that the deliquescence behavior of PEG was affected by the polymer MW, temperature, and the presence of additives. This phenomenon may have important implications for the stability of PEG containing formulations. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99:154,168, 2010 [source] Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight hexafluoroisopropylidene-containing polybenzimidazole for high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cellsJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 16 2009Guoqing Qian Abstract A high molecular weight, thermally and chemical stable hexafluoroisopropylidene containing polybenzimidazole (6F-PBI) was synthesized from 3,3,-diaminobenzidine (TAB) and 2,2-bis(4-carboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane (6F-diacid) using polyphosphoric acid (PPA) as both the polycondensation agent and the polymerization solvent. Investigation of polymerization conditions to achieve high molecular weight polymers was explored via stepwise temperature control, monomer concentration in PPA, and final polymerization temperature. The polymer characterization included inherent viscosity (I.V.) measurement and GPC as a determination of polymer molecular weight, thermal and chemical stability assessment via thermo gravimetric analysis and Fenton test, respectively. The resulting high molecular weight polymer showed excellent thermal and chemical stability. Phosphoric acid doped 6F-PBI membranes were prepared using the PPA process. The physiochemical properties of phosphoric acid doped membranes were characterized by measuring the phosphoric acid doping level, mechanical properties, and proton conductivity. These membranes showed higher phosphoric acid doping levels and higher proton conductivities than the membranes prepared by the conventional membrane fabrication processes. These membranes had sufficient mechanical properties to be easily fabricated into membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and the prepared MEAs were tested in single cell fuel cells under various conditions, with a focus on the high temperature performance and fuel impurity tolerance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4064,4073, 2009 [source] Ethylene polymerization and ethylene/hexene copolymerization with vanadium(III) catalysts bearing heteroatom-containing salicylaldiminato ligandsJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 14 2009Ji-Qian Wu Abstract A series of novel vanadium(III) complexes bearing heteroatom-containing group-substituted salicylaldiminato ligands [RNCH(ArO)]VCl2(THF)2 (Ar = C6H4, R = C3H2NS, 2a; C7H4NS, 2c; C7H5N2, 2d; Ar = C6H2tBu2 (2,4), R = C3H2NS, 2b) have been synthesized and characterized. Structure of complex 2c was further confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The complexes were investigated as the catalysts for ethylene polymerization in the presence of Et2AlCl. Complexes 2a,d exhibited high catalytic activities (up to 22.8 kg polyethylene/mmolV h bar), and affording polymer with unimodal molecular weight distributions at 25,70 °C in the first 5-min polymerization, whereas produced bimodal molecular weight distribution polymers at 70 °C when polymerization time prolonged to 30 min. The catalyst structure plays an important role in controlling the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the resultant polymers produced in 30 min polymerization. In addition, ethylene/hexene copolymerizations with catalysts 2a,d were also explored in the presence of Et2AlCl, which leads to the high molecular weight and unimodal distributions copolymers with high comonomer incorporation. Catalytic activity, comonomer incorporation, and polymer molecular weight can be controlled over a wide range by the variation of catalyst structure and the reaction parameters, such as comonomer feed concentration, polymerization time, and polymerization reaction temperature. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3573,3582, 2009 [source] Preparation of novel acrylamide-based thermoresponsive polymer analogues and their application as thermoresponsive chromatographic matricesJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 16 2008Yoshikatsu Akiyama Abstract New thermoresponsive polymers based on poly(N -(N, -alkylcarbamido)propyl methacrylamide) analogues were designed with increased hydrophobic content to facilitate temperature-dependent chromatographic separations of peptides and proteins from aqueous mobile phases. These polymer solution exhibited a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) when the alkyl group is methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, propyl, butyl, and isobutyl. However, larger alkyl groups such as hexyl and phenyl were not soluble in aqueous solutions at any temperature. Phase transition temperatures were lower for larger alkyl groups and increased with decreasing polymer molecular weight and concentration in solution. LCST dependence on polymer molecular weight and concentration is more significant compared with well-studied poly(N -isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm). Partition coefficient (log P) values for N -(N, -butylcarbamide)propylmethacrylamide and N -(N, -isobutylcarbamide)propyl methacrylamide (iBuCPMA) monomers are larger than that for IPAAm monomer, suggesting higher hydrophobicity than IPAAm. Chromatographic evaluation of poly(N -(N, -isobutylcarbamide)propyl methacrylamide) (PiBuCPMA) grafted silica particles in aqueous separations revealed larger k, values for peptides, insulin, insulin chain B, and angiotensin I than PIPAAm-grafted silica beads. In particular, k, values for insulin obtained from PiBuCPMA-grafted silica separations were much larger than those from PIPAAm-grafted surface separations, indicating that PiBuCPMA should be more hydrophobic than PIPAAm. These results support the introduction of alkylcarbamido groups to efficiently increase thermoresponsive polymer hydrophobicity of poly(N -alkylacrylamides) and poly(N -alkylmethacrylamides). Consequently, poly(N -(N, -alkylcarbamido)propyl methacrylamide) analogues such as PiBuCPMA and poly(N -(N, -alkylcarbamido)alkylmehacrylamide) are new thermoresponsive polymers with appropriate hydrophobic partitioning properties for protein and peptide separations in aqueous media, depending on selection of their alkyl groups. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5471,5482, 2008 [source] Synthesis of ethylene/propylene elastomers containing a terminal reactive group: The combination of metallocene catalysis and control chain transfer reactionJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 9 2005U. Kandil Abstract This article discusses a chemical route to prepare new ethylene/propylene copolymers (EP) containing a terminal reactive group, such as ,-CH3 and OH. The chemistry involves metallocene-mediated ethylene/propylene copolymerization in the presence of a consecutive chain transfer agent,a mixture of hydrogen and styrene derivatives carrying a CH3 (p -MS) or a silane-protected OH (St-OSi). The major challenge is to find suitable reaction conditions that can simultaneously carry out effective ethylene/propylene copolymerization and incorporation of the styrenic molecule (St-f) at the polymer chain end, in other words, altering the St-f incorporation mode from copolymerization to chain transfer. A systematic study was conducted to examine several metallocene catalyst systems and reaction conditions. Both [(C5Me4)SiMe2N(t -Bu)]TiCl2 and rac-Et(Ind)2ZrCl2, under certain H2 pressures, were found to be suitable catalyst systems to perform the combined task. A broad range of St-f terminated EP copolymers (EP- t -p-MS and EP- t -St-OH), with various compositions and molecular weights, have been prepared with polymer molecular weight inversely proportional to the molar ratio of [St-f]/[monomer]. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1858,1872, 2005 [source] Nonaqueous Aluminum Nitride Extrusion: I, Die-Entry Flow BehaviorJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 7 2002John F. Jr. Wight Simultaneous orifice and capillary rheometry at 160°C was used to determine flow parameters of aluminum nitride extrudates plasticized with a polyethylene,mineral-oil binder. Data were analyzed using the Benbow model for square-entry ram extrusion. Variables included the powder concentration, polymer molecular weight and concentration, and lubricant concentration. Die-entry rheology was explained in terms of the mean interparticle separation, polymer spatial requirements, and lubricant adsorption. Particles and polymer were observed to not pack independently. The yield stress of the body increased rapidly as the solids loading approached the critical volume limit of extrudability. An increase in polymer molecular weight or partial decrease of adsorbed lubricant increased the yield stress of the body and produced a satisfactory extrudate. [source] Preparation of Polystyrene/Clay Nanocomposites by Free-Radical Polymerization in DispersionMACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS & ENGINEERING, Issue 11 2009Nagi Greesh Abstract Fully exfoliated PS/clay nanocomposites were prepared via FRP in dispersion. Na-MMT clay was pre-modified using MPTMS before being used in a dispersion polymerization process. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the clay concentrations on the monomer conversion, the polymer molecular weight, and the morphology and thermal stability of the nanocomposites prepared via dispersion polymerization. DLS and SEM revealed that the particle size decreased and became more uniformly distributed with increasing clay loading. XRD and TEM revealed that nanocomposites at low clay loading yielded exfoliated structures, while intercalated structures were obtained at higher clay loading. [source] Silyl-Terminated Ethylene- co -Norbornene Copolymers by Organotitanium-Based CatalystsMACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 1 2009Roberto Marconi Abstract Ethylene (E) and norbornene (N) were copolymerized in the presence of PhSiH3 as chain-transfer agent with [Ti(,5:,1 -C5Me4SiMe2NBut)(,1 -Me)2] precatalyst combined with [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4]. The silane was introduced at chain-ends of E- co -N copolymers with concomitant reinitiation of the growing polymer chain. The concentrations of the silane and polymer molecular weight are inversely correlated. The characteristic signals of SiH2Ph chain-ends were observed by 1H NMR. The Si heteroatom is predominantly adjacent to ethylene units in E- co -N copolymers with high N content. [source] High char-yielding poly[acrylonitrile- co -(itaconic acid)- co -(methyl acrylate)]: synthesis and propertiesPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 8 2005Renjith Devasia Abstract Polyacrylonitrile terpolymers of various compositions consisting of acrylonitrile (AN), itaconic acid (IA) and methyl acrylate (MA) were synthesized by solution polymerization in dimethylsulfoxide. Increase in concentration of either IA or MA retarded the overall polymerization rate and the polymer molecular weight. The system consisting of AN + MA and varying IA concentration was more prone to retardation in comparison with the system composed of AN + IA with variable MA concentration. The retardation factors were quantified. Minor quantities of MA boost the reactivity of IA in the terpolymer system. The terpolymer was richer in MA vis-à-vis the feed. The thermal characteristics of the terpolymer were examined as a function of its composition. In contrast to the copolymer of AN and IA requiring 1,1.5 mol% IA, the terpolymer required an IA content of approximately 2.5 mol% for optimum thermal stability. The polymer with 90 mol% AN, 2.5 mol% IA and 7.5 mol% MA exhibited reasonably good char-forming characteristics and thermal stability. The overall crystallinity and crystallite size of the polymers were found to decrease on incorporation of the comonomers. The ,aromatization index' of the copolymer increased with the temperature of pyrolysis through re-organization of the tetrahydropyridine ladder structure. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Phase separation of polymer-functionalized SWNTs within a PMMA/polystyrene blendJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 2 2009James D. Mayo Abstract Phase separation of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends was used as a means to segregate PS- or PMMA-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in thin films. Dilute solutions (5 wt % in THF) of 1:1 PS/PMMA blends containing the functionalized nanotubes were spin cast and annealed at 180 °C for 12 h. Two different polymer molecular weights were used (Mn = 8000 or Mn = 22,000), and were of approximately equivalent molecular weight to those attached to the surface of the nanotubes. Nanotube functionalization was accomplished using the Cu(I)-catalyzed [3 + 2] Huisgen cycloaddition, in which alkyne-decorated nanotubes were coupled with azide-terminated polymers, resulting in polymer-SWNT conjugates that were soluble in THF. Characterization of the annealed films by scanning Raman spectroscopy, which utilized the unique Raman fingerprint of carbon nanotubes, enabled accurate mapping of the functionalized SWNTs within the films relative to the two phase-separated polymers. It was found that nanotube localization within the phase-separated polymer films was influenced by the type of polymer attached to the nanotube surface, as well as its molecular weight. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 450,458, 2009 [source] Polylactide copolymers: Effect of copolymer ratio and end capping on their propertiesADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2005D. M. Bigg Abstract Racemic copolymers of polylactic acid were investigated to determine the effect of copolymer ratio on melting point, degree of crystallinity, mechanical properties, and processing behavior. The copolymer ratio was found to have a strong influence on the crystallization behavior of the polymer. In addition to the ratio of the L -form to a random mixture of the D and L forms of the lactic acid in the copolymer, the effect of the polymer's molecular weight was examined. The copolymers were produced from the lactide form of the monomer to achieve weight average molecular weights above 100,000. The molecular weight had a profound influence on processability and rate of crystallization. Other notable factors influencing the properties and processing of the copolymers were the concentration of residual monomer in the polymer, the processing time-temperature history, and the extent of molecular weight degradation during processing. An important factor in the commercial development of biodegradable polymers is the ability to control the rate of degradation. Ideally, the polymer should not degrade during functional use, but degrade quite rapidly when discarded. This paper discusses various aspects associated with the control of the rate of degradation of polylactide copolymers; both from the perspective of stabilizing the polymer during processing and product use, and subsequently accelerating the rate of degradation after disposal. Of particular interest are the influences of molecular weight, crystallinity, end capping, and plasticization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 24:69,82, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20032 [source] RAFT polymerization kinetics: How long are the cross-terminating oligomers?JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 14 2009Dominik Konkolewicz Abstract We extend a new model for the kinetics of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The essence of this model is that the termination of the radical intermediate formed by the RAFT process occurs only with very short oligomeric radicals. In this work, we consider cross-termination of oligomers up to two monomers and an initiator fragment. This model accounts for the absence of three-armed stars in the molecular weight distribution, which are predicted by other cross-termination models, since the short third arm makes a negligible difference to the polymer's molecular weight. The model is tested against experiments on styrene mediated by cyano-isopropyl dithiobenzoate, and ESR experiments of the intermediate radical concentration. By comparing our model to experiments, we may determine the significance of cross-termination in RAFT kinetics. Our model suggests that to agree with the known data on RAFT kinetics, the majority of cross-terminating chains are dimeric or shorter. If longer chains are considered in cross-termination reactions, then significant discrepancies with the experiments (distinguishable star polymers in the molecular weight distribution) and quantum calculations will result. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3455,3466, 2009 [source] Structural studies of wheat flour glutenin polymers by CD spectroscopyBIOPOLYMERS, Issue 4 2004S. Fisichella Abstract A dissolution procedure of unreduced glutenin polymers of three wheat flour varieties (WRU 6981, Alisei 1, and Alisei 2) by sonication in the presence of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphate), after the elimination of albumins, globulins, and gliadins, was achieved, and the molecular weight distribution of glutenin polymers obtained by this method was measured by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization,time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. A structural study by CD spectroscopy at different temperatures of WRU 6981 glutenin polymer and of 1Ax1 high- Mr (relative molecular mass) glutenin subunit, which is the only high- Mr subunit contained in WRU 6981 flour, was undertaken to understand if the information obtained from the single subunit were applicable to the total polymer. CD spectroscopy also has been employed to study the glutenin polymers obtained by Alisei 1 and Alisei 2 wheat flours; Alisei 1 biotype contained 1Bx7 and 1Dx2+1Dy12 high-Mr subunits, whereas the Alisei 2 biotype contained only 1Bx7 and 1Dy12 subunits. A conformational study was undertaken by CD spectroscopy at different temperatures and in the presence of some chemical denaturant agents, such as urea and sodium dodecyl sulphate, in order to obtain information about their intrinsic stability and to verify if the 1Dx2 subunit presence determined a different structural behavior between Alisei 1 and Alisei 2 polymers. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric experiments showed that the glutenin polymers molecular weights were in the mass range of 500,000,5,000,000. CD spectra indicated that a single conformational state did not predominate in the temperature range studied but equilibrium between two distinct conformational states existed; moreover, all the changes induced by urea and by SDS followed a multistep transition process. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers, 2004 [source] | |||||||||||||