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PMR chemical shifts of TFA in poly(γ‐benzyl L ‐glutamate) solutions
Author(s) -
Liu KangJen,
Lignowski S. J.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/bip.1970.360090610
Subject(s) - chemistry , random coil , helix (gastropod) , polymer , solvation , chloroform , benzene , chemical shift , stereochemistry , circular dichroism , solvent , organic chemistry , ecology , snail , biology
Abstract The present communication describes a new way of studying helix–random coil transformations of polypeptide, poly‐(γ‐benzyl L ‐glutamate), in benzene–trifluoracetic acid (TFA) and chloroform–TFA systems. The difference between the PMR chemical shift of TFA with and without the polypeptide, measured as Δ, may be used to follow the conformational transition. This technique is particularly useful for concentrated solutions, where the PMR peaks of the polymer are so broad that no valuable information may be derived. As the TFA content increases in the system (at constant polymer concentration), Δ decreases normally whether the polymer is helical or random. However, Δ changes in a different way in the helix–random coil transition region, and actually increases with increasing TFA content. This peculiar behavior is explained in terms of the solvation of the helix and random coil structures.