Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy to Study Picosecond-Nanosecond Dynamics of Proteins and Hydration Water
Published on: April 28, 2022
Asymmetric partitioning of anions in lysozyme dispersions
Pierandrea Lo Nostro1, Niccolò Peruzzi, Mirko Severi
1Department of Chemistry and CSGI, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy. pln@csgi.unifi.it
Abstract:
An aqueous dispersion of lysozyme and sodium dodecyl sulfate phase separates below the cloud point. Two liquid phases are formed. At pH < pI electrolytes change the cloud point temperatures (T(c)). These follow an inverse Hofmeister series. Anions partition asymmetrically between the two phases. At fixed cation, the partitioning depends on the specific anion. In a system of finite volume, a concentrated dispersion of a protein is able to act as a chemical "sponge". No active pump is necessary to maintain concentration differences between concentrated and dilute dispersions.
Related Concept Videos
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
The Colloidal State
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Drug pKa, Lipophilicity and GI pH
A drug's pKa and the pH of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract play crucial roles in drug...
Extraction: Effects of pH
Ion Exchange
Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...

