Solution properties of polygalacturonic acid

1. The specimen of polygalacturonic acid used in these studies was shown to contain very little neutral sugar, methyl ester groups or ash, and only residues of galacturonic acid. Its electrophoretic homogeneity was examined in pyridine–acetic acid buffer at pH6·5 and in borate buffer at pH9·2. The distribution of effective particle weights was shown to be fairly narrow. 2. The pH-titration curve of the polymer gave a pK value of 3·7. 3. The interaction of the polymer with Ruthenium Red was studied and titration curves were obtained for the spectral shifts associated with the formation of a complex. 4. Optical-rotatory-dispersion studies showed that the Drude constant, λ_c, was dependent on pH. 5. Polygalacturonic acid was shown to display non-Newtonian properties in solution and to have an anomalously high relative specific viscosity at low concentrations. 6. Studies were made of the pH-dependence of the sedimentation coefficient of the polymer. 7. These results are discussed in terms of the structure of the molecule and their relevance to the properties of pectic substances.