Aggregation of Egg-Lecithin Vesicles Induced by Iron(III) Chloride

Aggregation behaviors of egg-lecithin vesicles were investigated. The crowded vesicle solution exhibited an irregular aggregation style in the presence of FeCl3. The process was composed of an induction period (2-5 days) and a sedimentation process ( approximately 12 h). The vesicles were stabilized by the positively charged species such as [(H2O)4Fe(OH)2 Fe(H2O)4]4+ in the induction periods. However, after the stationary state, the vesicles began to coagulate due to the transformation of the iron species into the inactive one. The existence of such time-lag for the aggregation to occur was mainly induced by the transient nature of iron(III) in the aqueous solution. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.