Characterization of structural changes of amylose-iodine solutions by circular dichroism

Abstract

C.d. measurements on amylose iodine solutions carried out at different degrees of iodine saturation show that the decrease of the Cotton effect, observed earlier below DP 50 11,12, is mainly due to the decreasing complex formation constants. The continuous decrease of the Cotton effect above DP 50 is even more pronounced at higher iodine concentration. Slow addition of iodine leads to especially high Cotton effects with a marked maximum at DP 47–50 and only a small increase of the Cotton effect upon standing of the solutions. Rapid addition of iodine leads to considerably lower Cotton effects but a prolonged time-dependent increase. Further ordering, however, does not reach the same high degree as when ioidine is added slowly. The results are discussed in the light of a single and multichain initiation process. Studies with aggregating solutions on the one hand and with very dilute solutions on the other hand, strongly indicate that the c.d. intensity is related to a conformational state of helix ordering and not to an ordering by chain folding or regular intermolecular association. Thus, the slow, time-dependent increase of the Cotton effect reflects substantial conformational changes of amylose on binding iodine. The results indicate that in the range of DP 47–50 a particularly well ordered helix is formed. For production of the typical blue colour in aqueous soluton and stabilization of aligned polyiodide subunits there is no need to stipulate a special colloid or crystalline state of the complex.