INTERACTION BETWEEN AN ANIONIC POLYSACCHARIDE AND AN OPPOSITELY CHARGED SURFACTANT - QUASI-ELASTIC LIGHT-SCATTERING, SIZE-EXCLUSION CHROMATOGRAPHY, AND CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS STUDY OF THE SODIUM HYALURONATETETRADECYLTRIMETHYLAMMONIUM BROMIDE SODIUM-CHLORIDE WATER-SYSTEM

The interaction between the anionic polysaccharide sodium hyaluronate (NaHy) and the positively charged surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammoni um bromide (TTAB) in water leads to phase separation if an insufficien t amount of salt (NaCl in this study) is added. With increasing TTAB c oncentration a pronounced interaction remains even under single-phase conditions. This is experimentally supported by a lowered relative vis cosity, a decreased electrophoretic mobility as determined by high per formance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) approaching zero mobility at infinite TTAB concentrations, and changes in hydrodynamic size as wel l as an increased relative scattered intensity as determined by quasi elastic light scattering (QELS). The extent of this interaction is con trolled mainly by the ionic strength of the solution and by the concen tration of surfactant. The data obtained are reasonably explained by t he model developed in interaction studies of a positively charged poly mer with a negatively charged surfactant.