Aspects of ultrasonic relaxation spectrometry

This thesis is divided into two sections: -a) The development and application of a new method forthe analysis of the ultrasonic relaxation spectra of molecules undergoing conformational changes.The analytical technique described has the advantageover previous methods of treating ultrasonic relaxation dataon conformational systems, in that for the first time, enthalpy differences which are consistent with those obtained from spectroscopic techniques can be derived.b) A study of the binding of ions and small moleculesto macromolecules using the resonance interferometric technique.The ultrasonic resonance method has been used to studyproton transfer to the c-amino group of poly-L-lysine as afunction of pH and polypeptide concentration. The relaxation data, obtained by several workers and relating to proton transfer in a range of amino-acids has been analysed using the Debye-Smoluchowski - Eigen equations in an attempt to explain the observed absorption behaviour. This work was extended to study a similar phenomenon involving the interaction between anumber of sodium alkyl sulphates and N-polyvinylpyrrolidone, a synthetic polymer, in aqueous solution at detergent concentrations above and below the surfactant critical micelle concentration.Finally, counterion-polyion binding has been studied insolutions of a number of polyelectrolytes including a range of kappa carrageenans, sodium alginate and sodium carboxymethylcellulose