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Effect of counterions on complex coacervation
Author(s) -
Tainaka KeiIchi
Publication year - 1980
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.1980.360190705
Subject(s) - coacervate , counterion , chemistry , counterion condensation , aqueous solution , phase diagram , chemical physics , thermodynamics , phase (matter) , ion , chromatography , organic chemistry , physics
In a recent paper, we developed a thermodynamic theory on the complex coacervation in the absence of low molecular ions, under the assumption that the coacervation is a condensation phenomenon of aggregates of polyanion and polycation in the aqueous solution, by obtaining the interaction potential U S between these aggregates on the basis of Flory's method. In this paper, we have extended the theory to a more complicated phenomenon of the counterion‐containing solutions. This treatment has led the interaction potential having an additional contribution to U S resulting from an entropy increase by the counterion distribution. The phase diagram between solution (sol) and separated phase has been obtained as a function of the difference of charges between polyanion and polycation. It has been found that the presence of counterions sensitively suppresses the coacervation.