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Updated: Oct 10, 2025

Solubility of Hydrophobic Compounds in Aqueous Solution Using Combinations of Self-assembling Peptide and Amino Acid
Published on: September 20, 2017
KOH/thiourea aqueous solution: A potential solvent for studying the dissolution mechanism and chain conformation of
Wenwen Li1, Jie Yang1, Li Cheng1
1Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu Province, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu Province, China.
Abstract:
Non-derivatizing, high-efficiency and low-toxicity solvents are important for studying the dissolution behavior and potential applications of starch. In this study, we investigated the starch dissolution mechanism and molecular conformation in KOH/thiourea aqueous solutions and compared these with KOH/urea and KOH aqueous solutions. Solubility analysis revealed that the KOH/thiourea solution demonstrates a better ability to dissolve corn starch than KOH/urea and KOH solutions. Rheological behavior and dynamic and static light scattering indicated that starch is stable in KOH/thiourea solution and exists as a regular star structure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 13C NMR, and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that hydrated K+ and OH- destroy the strong starch hydrogen bond interactions; thiourea hydrate self-assembles into a shell surrounding the starch-KOH complex through interaction with KOH, whereas there is no direct strong interaction between urea and KOH. Therefore, adding thiourea to a KOH solution can promote dissolution and prevent self-aggregation of the starch chain.
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