Thermodynamic properties underlying the alpha-helix-to-beta-sheet transition, aggregation, and amyloidogenesis of polylysine as probed by calorimetry, densimetry, and ultrasound velocimetry

In this work, we performed a detailed thermodynamic study of an aggregation-prone polypeptide, polylysine, to gain a deeper insight into the scenario of physicochemical events during its unfolding, aggregation, and amyloidogenesis. The precise and simultaneous determination of the partial molar volume, the heat capacity, and the coefficients of thermal expansion, as well as adiabatic and isothermal compressibility of the protein upon unfolding and aggregation, yields a thermodynamic picture of the aggregation process highlighting the importance of volume fluctuations during unfolding and amyloidogenesis of proteins.     

A study of the hydration of potassium halides by adiabatic compression

A strict approach to determine the adiabatic compressibility of a solvent at constant entropy of the solution is developed. It is shown that the apparent adiabatic compressibility of a solute is not strictly equal to the pressure derivative of the apparent molar volume of a solute at constant entropy of a solution in the general case. With this approach, the equation for hydration numbers and adiabatic compressibility of hydrate complexes is obtained thermodynamically correctly. Parameters of the hydration of potassium chloride, bromide, and iodide are found.     

Adiabatic compressibility of polymer solutions-IV polypropyleneoxide in polar and non-polar solvents

Adiabatic compressibility measurements on solutions of polypropyleneoxides of various molecular weight in polar and non-polar solvents are reported. This study supports the previous observation of an apparent molecular weight dependence of the adiabatic compressibility of poly-alkyloxides in toluene solution. The variation of the adiabatic compressibility with solvent is attributed to changes in polymer structure with variation of solvent. A ¹³C NMR study revealed the existence of changes in the sequence structure and distribution of conformations with solvent and molecular weight.     

Intermolecular hydrogen bonds: Comparison of associates in crystals and liquids

The density and sound velocity were measured within wide ranges of temperature for a number of liquids (water, formamide, diols, aliphatic alcohols, cellosolves, ketones), in which various types of H-associate can exist. The temperature dependences of the adiabatic and molar adiabatic compressibility, density, and molar volume are analyzed. The values of the molar adiabatic compressibility permit one to evaluate the dimensionality of H-associates existing in liquids; the values of adiabatic compressibility do not offer this possibility. The terms responsible for the similarity and difference between H-associates in crystals and liquids are discussed.     

Analysis of the structure of acetonitrile aqueous solutions based on study of their volumetric elastic properties

The evolution of the structure of acetonitrile aqueous solutions is investigated by analyzing the concentration and temperature dependences of density, ultrasound velocity, adiabatic compressibility, excess molar volume, and excess adiabatic compressibility. It is shown that, the region in which solutions exist can be divided into five intervals that differ by solution structure. The structural features are described for each of them. It is found that in the 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.9 range of acetonitrile mole fractions, excess adiabatic compressibility isotherms behave abnormally: its absolute value increases with temperature, testifying to the important role played by the CH₃ group of the amide residue of acetonitrile in molecular interactions.     

Calculation of isentropic compressibility and sound velocity in two-phase fluids

Derivative properties from equations of state (EoS) are well defined for homogeneous fluid systems. However, some of these properties, such as isothermal and isentropic (or adiabatic) compressibilities and sound velocity need to be calculated at conditions for which a homogeneous fluid splits into two (or more) phases, liquid or vapor. The isentropic compressibility and sound velocity of thermodynamically equilibrated fluids exhibit important discontinuities at phase boundaries, as noticed long ago by Landau and Lifschitz in the case of pure fluids. In this work, the two-phase isentropic compressibility (or inverse bulk modulus) is expressed in terms of the two-phase isothermal compressibility, two-phase thermal expansivity and an apparent heat capacity, defined as the partial derivative of total enthalpy with respect to temperature at constant pressure and composition. The proposed method is simple (simpler than previous approaches), easy to implement and versatile; it is not EoS-dependent and it requires only a flash routine and the expression of total enthalpy at given pressure, temperature and composition. Our approach is applied to a variety of fluid systems representative of reservoir applications and geophysical situations, including petroleum fluids (oil and gas condensate) and mixtures of water and gas (methane or CO₂). For low gas content in the two-phase fluid, i.e., near bubble point conditions, we obtain significantly lower bulk moduli and sound velocities than predicted within Wood's conventional approach, in which the liquid and gas phases are considered to be “frozen” at the passage of the acoustic wave.     

Pressure and temperature dependence of hydrophobic hydration: volumetric, compressibility, and thermodynamic signatures

The combined effect of pressure and temperature on hydrophobic hydration of a nonpolar methanelike solute is investigated by extensive simulations in the TIP4P model of water. Using test-particle insertion techniques, free energies of hydration under a range of pressures from 1 to 3000 atm are computed at eight temperatures ranging from 278.15 to 368.15 K. Corresponding enthalpy, entropy, and heat capacity accompanying the hydration process are estimated from the temperature dependence of the free energies. Partial molar and excess volumes calculated using pressure derivatives of the simulated free energies are consistent with those determined by direct volume simulations; but direct volume determination offers more reliable estimates for compressibility. At 298.15 K, partial molar and excess isothermal compressibilities of methane are negative at 1 atm. Partial molar and excess adiabatic (isentropic) compressibilities are estimated to be also negative under the same conditions. But partial molar and excess isothermal compressibilities are positive at high pressures, with a crossover from negative to positive compressibility at approximately 100-1000 atm. This trend is consistent with experiments on aliphatic amino acids and pressure-unfolded states of proteins. For the range of pressures simulated, hydration heat capacity exhibits little pressure dependence, also in apparent agreement with experiment. When pressure is raised at constant room temperature, hydration free energy increases while its entropic component remains essentially constant. Thus, the increasing unfavorability of hydration under raised pressure is seen as largely an enthalpic effect. Ramifications of the findings of the authors for biopolymer conformational transitions are discussed.     

Adiabatic compressibility of solutions of ethylene–propylene copolymers in hydrocarbon solvents

Adiabatic compressibility measurements are reported on solutions in hydrocarbon solvents of a low M_w high ethylene content, and of both high and low M_w low ethylene content ethylene–propylene copolymers. In all solutions the observed adiabatic compressibility was lower than the solvent value by an increment which was a function of the solvent type. Comparison of the data for a high and low molecular weight sample of the same copolymer indicates no molecular weight effects. Changes in the composition of the copolymer, as indicated by NMR spectroscopy, have only a slight effect on the adiabatic compressibility. The dominant feature of these studies is the apparent correlation of the chain length of the alkane solvent with the decrement in the compressibility.     

Immunoglobulin dynamics, conformational fluctuations, and nonlinear elasticity and their effects on stability

The relationships between protein dynamics, function, and stability are incompletely understood. Two external perturbations (temperature and pH) were used to modulate the flexibility and stability of an IgG1kappa monoclonal antibody (mAb) in an attempt to better understand the possible correlations between flexibility and stability. Ultrasonic velocimetry, densitometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and pressure perturbation calorimetry (PPC) were used to experimentally determine the adiabatic and isothermal compressibility, expansibility, fractional volumes of unfolding, and various nonlinear thermoacoustical parameters as a function of pH and temperature. By combining these results, state parameter fluctuations were calculated from fundamental statistical mechanical relationships. The most dynamic and rigid mAb ensemble is measured at pH 4 and 6, respectively, based on state parameter fluctuations and compressibility. The effect of pH appears to couple mAb dynamics to solvent fluctuations, which control its dynamics and stability. A nonlinear response to mechanical perturbation, comparable to that seen with many polymers, is observed for this monoclonal antibody at pH 4-8. This behavior is characterized as strongly anisotropic and anharmonic, especially at pH 4. The midpoint of thermal unfolding as measured by DSC does not necessarily correlate with flexibility.     

Thermo-elastic and thermodynamic properties of light and heavy crude oil

Three different experiments, viz., ultrasound interferometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and density measurements were carried out over a wide range of temperature varying from 20°C to 70°C in light, heavy, and a mixture of light and heavy crude oil samples which differ considerably in its American Petroleum Institute gravity. The properties of the mixture have been discussed in terms of its deviation from the ideal values of mixing. The directly measured quantities such as the compression wave velocity, the specific heat at constant pressure, and the density were used to evaluate the temperature dependence of adiabatic compressibility, coefficient of volume expansion and the acoustic impedance. A correlation between thermo-elastic and thermodynamic functions of crude oils has been investigated. In particular, the ratio of the specific heats has been determined by making use of the thermo-elastic functions, which was further used to estimate the specific heat at constant volume. The values of the isothermal compressibility and the coefficient of volume expansion are used to evaluate the pressure–temperature dependence of crude oil conforming to in-situ reservoir conditions.     

Structuring effects and hydration phenomena in poly(ethylene glycol)/water mixtures investigated by brillouin scattering

Aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of mean molecular mass of 600 g/mol (PEG600) are investigated by Brillouin scattering technique. At high PEG content, a relaxation phenomenon is observed, which is related to a local rearrangement of the polymer structure where the interaction, via hydrogen bonding, with the solvent molecules plays a role. The obtained values of the relaxation times match the literature data very well for a fast relaxation time revealed by dielectric relaxation measurements in very similar mixtures. The calculated concentration behaviors of the excess adiabatic compressibility turns out in good agreement with the previous findings from ultrasonic measurements at 3 MHz. The observed minimum in the adiabatic compressibility is interpreted as the result of the interaction between water and the EO units of the PEG chain, which results in a structure tighter then that typical of bulk water and of pure PEG600. Such a hypothesis is supported by the observation that volume fraction value of about 0.3 coincides with the concentration value at which full hydration of EO units takes place. The observation that at the same concentration, the polymer coils start to overlap each other further supports the idea that the adiabatic compressibility behavior is monitoring the structural evolution of the mixture. However, similar results are obtained for largely different binary mixture which suggests caution in taking this conclusion too literally. In particular, the hypothesis that the occurrence of an extreme in the excess adiabatic compressibility could be simply originated by statistical effects and that further work is required for disentangling entropic contribution from effects of hetero-association and self-aggregation of one or both the components.     

The adiabatic compressibility of two-phase systems of salt mixture melts based on lithium fluoride

The adiabatic compressibility coefficients of stratifying liquid lithium fluoride mixtures with potassium, rubidium, and cesium bromides and iodides were determined by the acoustic method with invoking density data. The difference of the compressibilities of phases along the saturation line was found to depend on the ratio between component bond energies. A compressibility jump was observed experimentally in the passage through the critical point.     

Partial molar volumes and partial molar adiabatic compressibilities of a short chain perfluorosurfactant: Sodium heptafluorobutyrate in aqueous solutions at different temperatures

Density and ultrasound measurements of sodium heptafluorobutyrate in aqueous solutions at T = (283.15, 288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, 313.15, 318.15, and 323.15) K have been obtained. From these results partial molar volumes and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibilities were calculated. Deviations from the Debye-Hückel limiting law provide evidence for limited association at lower concentrations. The change of the partial molar volume and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibility upon aggregation was calculated. Variations of the change of partial molar volumes and isentropic partial molar adiabatic compressibility upon aggregation are discussed in terms of temperature.     

Studies on acoustic behavior of praseodymium soaps

The CMC and various acoustic parameters of praseodymium soaps in 1-pentanol have been determined by ultrasonic velocity measurements. The results show that the ultrasonic velocity, specific acoustic impedance, apparent molal compressibility, and molar sound velocity increase while adiabatic compressibility and intermolecular free length decrease with increasing concentration and chain length of soap.     

Structure of liquid ethylene glycol

The structure of liquid ethylene glycol (EG) was studied by the vibrational spectroscopy and isothermal compressibility techniques. Raman spectra were recorded at 296 K, IR spectra were measured at 296 and 90 K, and the isothermal compressibility was measured over a pressure range of 0.1–300 MPa. The results obtained were compared with analogous data for water. The structure of liquid EG is discussed using the available literature data on the conformation of its molecule in the gas phase and X-ray diffraction data for crystalline EG. It was concluded that liquid EG has a three-dimensional network of hydrogen bonds, which is more uniform and less mobile compared to water, a feature that explains why the viscosity of EG is high.     

Acoustic absorption and dynamic compressibility studies of dilute and concentrated solutions of polystyrene in toluene and cyclohexane

Acoustic absorption and adiabatic compressibility measurements are reported on solutions of polystyrene (M_n = 89,000) in toluene and cyclohexane. The data in toluene cover a temperature range from 293 to 343°K and a concentration range of 10–400 Kg m^?3 (1–40 wt%). The dependence of acoustic absorption on concentration was found to be linear up to 100 kg m^?3, which corresponds to the concentration at which polymer–polymer interactions cause significant changes in the specific viscosity-concentration relationship. Up to 200 kg m^?3 the data could be fitted to computations based on an artificial separation of the dispersion into contributions from viscoelastic and segmental processes, using parameters obtained from a study of narrow molecular weight distribution samples at 25 kg m^?3. However, neither approach was capable of describing dispersions in the 300, 400 kg m^?3 solutions. The modification of the relaxation spectrum observed at the highest concentrations is ascribed to volume and entropy changes associated with alterations of the local environment around a segment of the polymer chain. These changes have their origin in interchain penetration and polymer–polymer contacts, and indicate that ‘entanglement’ is primarily entropic in effect. The adiabatic compressibility exhibited similar deviations from a simple concentration dependence, and allowed estimation of an incompressible volume increment associated with polymer–polymer interactions in the high-concentration entangled matrix. However, the adiabatic compressibilities of solutions of polystyrene, 10–15 kg m^?3, in cyclohexane showed no deviations from simple behavior in the region of the theta temperature. Measurements of the adiabatic compressibility of polystyrene in mixtures of cyclohexane-toluene have been used to obtain the relative magnitude of solvent and polymer contributions to the excess compressibility.     

Ultrasonic and IR study of molecular association process through hydrogen bonding in ternary liquid mixtures

Complex formation in ternary liquid mixtures of heterocyclic compounds, viz. pyridine and quinoline with phenol in benzene has been studied through ultrasonic velocity measurements (at 2 MHz) in the concentration range of 0.010–0.090 at varying temperatures of 35, 45 and 55 °C. The ultrasonic velocity and density data are used to estimate adiabatic compressibility, intermolecular free length, molar sound velocity, molar compressibility and specific acoustic impedance. These acoustical parameters, in turn, are used to study the solute–solute interactions in these systems. The ultrasonic velocity shows a maxima and adiabatic compressibility a corresponding minima as a function of concentration for these mixtures. The results indicate the possible occurrence of complex formation between unlike molecules through intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the nitrogen atom of pyridine and quinoline molecules and the hydrogen atom of phenol molecule. Further, the excess values of adiabatic compressibility and intermolecular free length have also been evaluated and discussed in relation to complex formation. The infrared spectra of both the systems, pyridine–phenol and quinoline–phenol, have been also recorded for various concentrations at room temperature (35 °C) and found to be useful for understanding the presence of N⋯HO bond complexes and the strength of molecular association at specific concentrations.     

Ultrasonic and ir investigations of N–H bond complexes

Complex formation of 1?:?1 mixtures of naphthols, viz. (α-naphthol and β-naphthol) with triethylamine in benzene have been studied at a frequency of 2?MHz in the concentration range of 0.010–0.090 and at varying temperatures of 30, 40 and 50°C. Using the measured ultrasonic velocity, the thermoacoustical parameters such as adiabatic compressibility, intermolecular free length, molar sound velocity, molar compressibility and acoustic impedance have been calculated. The ultrasonic velocity shows a maxima and adiabatic compressibility shows a corresponding minima as a function of concentration for these mixtures. These, in turn, are used to study the solute–solute interaction and the possibility of complex formation between unlike molecules of naphthols and triethylamine through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The hydrogen bond is formed between hydrogen atom of naphthols and nitrogen atom of triethylamine molecule. The result obtained using infrared spectroscopy for both the systems also supports the existence of complex formation through intermolecular hydrogen bonding.     

Adiabatic compressibility of red blood cell membrane: influence of skeleton

Measurements of ultrasound velocity and density were used for determination of the adiabatic compressibility of red blood cells (RBC) during detachment of the membrane skeleton. Skeleton detachment was induced by addition of nystatin into a low ionic strength RBC suspension resulting in an increase (10%) of the ultrasound velocity concentration increment, [u], while the specific volume of cells, phi(v) did not change significantly. Changes of the concentration increment had rather long kinetics and were not completed even after 60 min. Both [u] and phiV values were used for calculation of the specific apparent adiabatic compressibility of RBC, phiK/beta0. The value of the specific apparent compressibility decreases following addition of nystatin. This corresponds to an increase in the volume elastic modulus of RBC membranes during detachment of the membrane skeleton. Control experiments with large unilamellar liposomes at conditions similar to that performed with the RBC did not reveal significant changes of [u] after the addition of nystatin. Our results show that the role of the membrane skeleton probably consists in maintaining higher compressibility of the RBC membranes. This may partly provide conditions for conformational changes of RBC membrane proteins.     

PVT properties of polyethylene copolymer melts

PVT properties of four polyethylene random copolymers (ethylene-propylene, ethylene-1-butene, ethylene-1-hexene, and ethylene-1-octene) and linear polyethylene were measured at temperatures from 313 to 493 K and pressures up to 200 MPa. Dependence of properties such as specific volume, thermal expansion coefficient, isothermal compressibility, and characteristic parameter of equations of state on the length of the polymer branched chains were examined. It was found that the length of the branched chain did not affect the thermal expansion coefficient and isothermal compressibility. The specific volume of copolymers having longer branched chains were slightly larger than those copolymers with short branched chains.