Refined definition of the critical micelle concentration and application to alkyl maltosides used in membrane protein research.

ABSTRACT: The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of nonionic detergents is defined as the breaking point in the monomer concentration as a function of the total detergent concentration, identified by setting the third derivate of this function to zero. Combined with a mass action model for micelle formation, this definition yields analytic formulae for the concentration ratio of monomers to total detergent at the CMC and the relationship between the CMC and the free energy of micellization g _mic. The theoretical breaking point is shown to coincide with the breaking point of the experimental titration curve, if the fluorescence enhancement of 8-anilino-1-naphthalene-sulfonic acid (ANS) or a similar probe dye is used to monitor micelle formation. Application to a series of n

SUBMITTER: Bothe A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10031436 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature