Abstract: | General expressions relating the sedimentation and diffusion constants of polyelectrolytes to the friction properties of ionic components in multicomponent systems have been derived. A quantitative explanation of the charge effect with respect to the addition of a low-molecular-weight salt is given; special attention is laid on limiting laws according to the salt-to-polymer concentration ratio. The theory is applied to a simple model, the infinitely long rod-like model, to illustrate the peculiar aspect of the charge effect in presence of salt. |