Formation and Metamorphosis of Superstructures from Single-walled Bilayer Membranes by Acidic Polyamino Acids

• Published in: Nippon Kagakukai shi (1972) Vol. 1987; no. 3; p. 543
• Main Authors: IHARA, Hirotaka, FUKUMOTO, Takanori, HIRAYAMA, Chuichi, YAMADA, Kimiho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Japan Science and Technology Agency 01.03.1987
• ISSN: 0369-4577
• DOI: 10.1246/nikkashi.1987.543

Double-chain alkyl derivatives with poly(L-glutamic acid)- and poly(L-aspartic acid)-head groups were synthesized and their aggregate morphologies in dilute aqueous solutions were investigated. These polyamino acid derivatives were dispersed in water at above pH4 to form a variety of helical superstructures composed of single-walled bilayer membranes, whose morphologies were closely related to the chemical structures of hydrophilic head groups. The helical structures were not observed in the corresponding ammonium amphiphiles without polyamino acid-head groups and the amphiphile with low-molecular head groups or with poly(DL-amino acid) head groups. The developmental mechanism to helical superstructures was concluded by following the metamorphosis of bilayer aggregates from poly(L-aspartic acid) derivatives in aqueous solutions: the helical forms are induced via the formation of double or multiple helix among the untwisted filaments produced by incubating.