T. Nakanishi et T. Norisuye, Order-disorder conformation change of succinoglycan in aqueous sodium chloride as studied by static and dynamic light scattering, POLYM BULL, 47(1), 2001, pp. 47-53
Static and dynamic light scattering measurements have been made on a sodium
salt sample of succinoglycan in 0.01 M aqueous NaCl at different temperatu
res between 25 and 75 degreesC where the polysaccharide undergoes a thermal
ly induced change from an ordered (helical) to disordered conformation with
raising temperature T. The weight-average molecular weight M-W the z-avera
ge radius of gyration, and the hydrodynamic radius sharply decrease in a re
latively narrow T range (around 55 degreesC) in which the specific rotation
was previously found to change sigmoidally with T. In particular, the valu
e of M-W (4.55 x 10(5)) in the ordered state at 25 degreesC is twice as lar
ge as that (2.27 x 10(5)) in the disordered state at 75 degreesC, giving de
cisive evidence that the helical structure of the polysaccharide in aqueous
NaCl is composed of paired chains. It is concluded that this structure is
a double-stranded helix and breaks directly into two disordered chains with
increasing T.