| Abstract: | The temperature dependence of the conformational transition from a compact to expanded-coil form of the alternating copolymer of maleic acid with styrene in aqueous 0.03M NaCl solution was studied at 15 to 40°C by pH titration, optical titration, and calorimetric measurements. The pH titration curve scarcely changed with temperature. The degree of dissociation of primary carboxyl groups in the copolymer at the midpoint of the conformational transition, determined by the optical titration, was almost independent of temperature. The standard enthalpy change of the transition at 25°C estimated from the calorimetric data was 0.363 kcal/mole, which may mean that the difference between the standard free energy changes of the transition at 20°C and 40°C does not exceed experimental error. The enthalpy change agrees well with the heat of transfer of benzene from the hydrophobic to the aqueous medium, and thus the compact form of the copolymer is considered to be stabilized by the hydrophobic interaction between the phenyl residues in the interior of the molecule. |
