Influence of Low Molecular Weight Organic Acids on Transport of Cadmium and Copper Ions across Model Phospholipid

The transport of cadmium and of copper ions across the artificially prepared model phospholipid (PL) membranes on the polycarbonate supports was studied in the present manuscript. The processes were investigated in the presence of selected low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) (malic acid (MA), oxalic acid (OA) and citric acid (CA)), which substantially affect the transport conditions in the rhizosphere. It was found that the transport was influenced by presence/absence of ionophores calcimycin and by the value of pH. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to monitor the formation, the stability, and qualitatively the transporting process across the supported phospholipid bilayers (SPLBs), whereas voltammetric methods were applied for quantitative and qualitative characterization of the species (ions and complexes), which are transferred across the SPLBs. The structures of the formed complexes were investigated using mass spectrometry