Calorimetric investigation of conversion to the most stable subgel phase of phosphatidylethanolamine-water system

The conversion of either the gel or the liquid crystal phase to the most st able subgel phase in dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE)-water syste m at a water content of 25 mass% was studied by differential scanning calor imetry and isothermal calorimetry. The calorimetric experiments were perfor med for two samples depending on whether the thermal treatment of cooling t o -60 degreesC was adopted or not. In DSC of varying heating rate, exotherm ic peaks due to the partial conversion were observed at either temperatures just below the gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition at 50 degreesC or te mperatures where the liquid crystal phase is present as a metastable state. The enthalpies of conversion for both the gel and the liquid crystal phase were measured directly by the isothermal calorimetries at 47 and 53 degree sC, respectively, where the exothermic peaks were observed by DSC and were compared with the enthalpy difference between the gel and subgel phases and that between the liquid crystal and subgel phases.