The Measurement of the Diffusive Motion of Protons in Biological Systems.
Abstract
The method of quasi-elastic neutron scattering was used to study the properties of water associated with macromolecular systems. We determined the diffusion parameters for pure water, agarose gel(4 gm h20/gm dry solids). The scattering has been interpreted with a scattering law derived from a jump-diffusion model for the translational motion and a Brownian diffusion model for the rotational motion. Results were obtained for the neutron line width as a function of the momentum change of the scattered neutron, hQ. We found that the diffusive motion for the water in the agarose gel is restricted by its association with the polymer molecules, the diffusion coefficient being reduced from that of pure water by about 20%. The properties of the water in the Artemia cysts differ greatly from those of pure water. The translational diffusion coefficient is reduced by a factor of about 4 and the rotational diffusion coefficient by about 13. These changes are an intrinsic property of the cyst water produced by its association with the bio-polymers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 02, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA129276
Entities
People
- Harold E. Rorschach Jr
Organizations
- Rice University