IUC Project: Adjustable Micelles in Supercritical Fluids

根据最近对亲水蛋白的反胶束增溶作用的研究和对超临界流体中反胶束的观察，我们假设亲水蛋白可能很容易被超临界流体中的反胶束吸收并从反胶束中析出。由于反胶束的聚集数随着用作溶剂的有机的溶解度参数的变化而变化很大，由于超临界溶剂的溶解度参数随着体系在临界点以上相空间中的位置的变化而变化很大，因此在超临界溶剂中，反胶束的聚集数应随着压力和温度的变化而变化很大。由于蛋白质在反胶束中的分配系数很大程度上取决于反胶束的大小，因此在高于临界点的条件下的轻微变化可能很容易迫使蛋白质从反胶束进入水相。这种现象，如果能被证明，将形成一个潜在的有价值的生物分子分离过程的基础。该系统具有许多元素，使其在生物分离领域的工业应用方面具有很大的前景。

Based on recent work on reverse micellar solubilization of hydrophilic proteins and recent observations of reverse micelles in supercritical fluids, it is hypothesized that hydrophilic proteins may be readily taken up by and precipitated from reverse micelles in a supercritical fluid. Since aggregation numbers of reverse micelles vary tremendously with the solubility parameter of the organic used as a solvent and since the solubility parameter of a supercritical solvent varies dramatically with the location of the system in phase space above the critical point, aggregation numbers of reverse micelles should vary dramatically with pressure and temperature in a supercritical solvent. Since the partition coefficient of proteins in reverse micelles is strongly dependent on the size of the reverse micelles, slight changes in conditions above the critical point might readily force the proteins from the reverse micelles into an aqueous phase. This phenomenon, if it can be demonstrated, would form the basis of a potentially valuable separation process for biomolecules. This system has many elements which make it highly promising with regard to industrial applications in the area of bioseparations.