Abstract: | Optical rotation and density studies have been performed as a function of time on solutions of a single-strand gelatin in salt-free solutions and in solutions containing sodium bromide, tetramethyl and tetrabutylammonium bromide. The reversion to the collagen fold is shown to be first order in all cases but undergoes a change in magnitude as a function of an aggregation process which occurs at a concentration of approximately 0.1% w/v. The structuring effects of the electrolytes on the solvent are shown to relate to the extent of helix regeneration by the protein, in the presence of the electrolyte. The extent of helix regeneration is also shown to relate to the thickness of the electric double layer surrounding the protein molecule. |