INTERACTIONS IN MICELLAR SOLUTIONS OF BETA-CASEIN

beta-casein is a flexible amphiphilic milli protein which forms spheri cal micelles in very dilute solution. The magnitude of the weight-aver age interactions between the solute particles has been inferred from s mall-angle neutron scattering experiments. At relatively high protein concentrations the interactions between micelles are repulsive, whatev er the temperature. At lower concentration these interactions vanish a nd become more and more attractive when the critical micelle concentra tion is approached. Although indispensable for micelle formation, this fact seems to have not been previously reported.