Transformation between inverse bicontinuous cubic phases of a lipid from diamond to primitive

Langmuir. 2015 Mar 17;31(10):3180-5. doi: 10.1021/la504295v. Epub 2015 Mar 4.

Abstract

I studied the transformation between inverse bicontinuous cubic phases (QII) from diamond (QII(D)) to primitive (QII(P)) in a single-crystal region of monoolein. X-ray diffraction data reveal that the crystallographic orientation of QII(P) rotates 55° around the [01̅1] axis from QII(D). This indicates that one direction of the four-branched water channels in the QII(D) phase is preserved in the six-branched water channels of the QII(P) phase. I therefore built a transformation model that would keep the direction of the water channels fixed in both phases and cause the water channels along other direction in QII(D) to shrink and disappear.

MeSH terms

  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Glycerides / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation*

Substances

  • Glycerides
  • monoolein