Measuring Method for Thermal Properties of Protein Crystals Using Magnetic Levitation Technique

• Published in: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of Biomedical Fuzzy Systems Association Vol. 29; pp. 117 - 120
• Main Authors: Maki, Syou, Fujiwara, Seiji, Maekawa, Ryunosuke, Tanaka, Seiichi, Hagiwara, Masayuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Biomedical Fuzzy Systems Association 26.11.2016; バイオメディカル・ファジィ・システム学会
• Subjects: Hen egg-white lysozyme; Magneto-Archimedes effect; Superconducting magnet; Thermal conductivity; Thermal diffusivity
• ISSN: 1345-1510; 2424-2586
• DOI: 10.24466/pacbfsa.29.0_117

Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) crystals were measured by the magnetic levitation technique of crystals and by the transient short hot wire method. The levitation of crystals was easily realized owing to the magneto-Archimedes effect. As the results, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of HEWL crystals were found to be 0.410 W/(mK) and 3.77 × 10-8 m2/s in the first measurement of 14 h later from the beginning of crystal growth, and 0.438 W/(mK) and 5.18 × 10-8 m2/s in the second one of 20 h later, respectively. The experimental conditions, namely, HEWL concentration, pH, and temperature were 6.53 wt% and 3.30, and 17.2C, respectively. Magnetic field was fixed at 4.0 T. As a precipitant agent of crystallization, we used gadolinium chloride of 0.362 mol/kg. This agent is a paramagnetic subject, and is essentially important to cause the magneto-Archimedes effect.