Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants
Published on: June 3, 2022
Hydrophobization of bovine serum albumin with cationic surfactants with different hydrophobic chain length
Robert Kun1, László Kis, Imre Dékány
1Supramolecular and Nanostructured Materials Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, University of Szeged, Aradi vt. 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary.
Abstract:
The interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and cationic surfactants with different chain length was investigated. The hydrodynamic diameters, electrokinetic potentials, as well as the fluorescence emission properties of the protein-surfactant complexes with different hydrophobic character were studied. Dynamic light scattering was applied to determine how the size and electrokinetic potential of the protein aggregates changes due to surfactant loading. It was found that by increasing the chain length of the surfactant the required amount of the surfactant for total aggregation of the system is decreased dramatically, which means that in the course on the aggregation process hydrophobic effects should be considered and it was further proved with fluorescence emission intensity measurements. By changing the pH of the protein solution the contribution of the electrostatic interactions to the aggregation processes was studied. It was showed that both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions are present in the protein-cationic surfactant interaction.
Related Concept Videos
Surface Active Agents
Micelles
Colloids
Detergent Purification of Membrane Proteins
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)...

