Surface dipole potential at the interface between water and self-assembled monolayers of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid

Biophys J. 1998 May;74(5):2388-97. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(98)77947-0.

Abstract

The nature and magnitude of the surface dipole potential chi at a membrane/water interface still remain open to discussion. By combining measurements of differential capacity C and charge density sigma at the interface between self-assembled monolayers of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid supported by mercury and aqueous electrolytes of different concentration and pH, a sigmoidal dependence of chi upon sigma is revealed, with the inflection at sigma = 0. This behavior is strongly reminiscent of the surface dipole potential due to reorientation of adsorbed water molecules at electrified interfaces. The small increase in C with a decrease in the frequency of the AC signal below approximately 80 Hz, as observed with phospholipid monolayers with partially protonated polar groups, is explained either by a sluggish collective reorientation of some polar groups of the lipid or by a sluggish movement of protons across the polar head region.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Chemical
  • Phosphatidic Acids / chemistry*
  • Phosphatidylserines / chemistry*
  • Potentiometry
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Phosphatidic Acids
  • Phosphatidylserines
  • Water