ISSN:
0006-3525
Keywords:
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
A tentative and phenomenological analysis of negative electric birefringence, which has often been observed as an anomalous birefringence phenomenon in a concentrated solution of rodlike macromolecules, is presented. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was used as a typical example for the investigation. It was found that if the applied electric field is sufficiently high, the steady-state birefringence becomes becomes positive even at a very high concentration of TMV. From this finding and analysis of the time course of birefringence transients, it was suggested that the TMV (common strain, OM type), which originally has no inherent permanent dipole, behaves as if it possesses a permanent dipole perpendicular to its long axis. Supporting evidence was also obtained from birefringence experiments on concentrated solutions of the HR strain of TMV, which has an inherent permanent dipole along its long axis. Other possibilities, for example, the effects of the walls of electrodes or of polymerization of TMV molecules, were excluded.
Additional Material:
6 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bip.1976.360150214
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