Interaction of poly(L-glutamic acid) with cationic surfactants carrying different head groups

Three cationic surfactants carrying a common hydrocarbon tail (dodecyl group) interact differently with fully ionized poly(L-glutamic acid)(PGA), depending on the type of their ionic head groups. Decrease of pH occurred in the order; dodecylammonium chloride (DAC) > dodecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) > dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC). The-helix of PGA was strongly induced by the addition of DAC and DDAC but weakly by DTAC. The induction was inhibited when NaCl concentration was greater than 0.05 M. In the solid state, proton transfer through hydrogen bonds from ionic heads of DDAC to carboxylate groups of the polypeptide was observed. Distortion of circular dichroism spectra occurred at high mixing ratios of surfactant to polymer, due to the aggregation of-helices, as confirmed by light scattering measurements and infrared absorption spectra.