Influence of electrostatic interactions on partitioning in aqueous polyethylene glycol/dextran biphasic systems: Part I.

To study the influence of charges on the partition of solutes in aqueous two-phase systems of polyethylene glycol and dextran, partition coefficients of dimethylaminoethyl-dextran, trimethylamino-dextran, and bis (alpha,omega)-amino-poly(ethylene glycol) were determined as a function of pH (range 2 to 12) and ionic strength. These polymers are derivatives of the phase forming components and carry ionizable groups that are charged or uncharged depending on the pH. Unexpectedly, the largest differences in the partition coefficients were found at high pH, where the modified polymers are uncharged. In addition, the partitioning of low-molecular-weight model compounds, ethylenediamine and iminodiacetic acid, as well as poly-L-lysine and poly(allylamine) was analyzed. A consistent pattern was observed in the partition of polyelectrolytes reflecting the influence of charge, but another property of aqueous phase systems unrelated to charge and changing with pH seems to be superimposed. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.