Molecular thermodynamics for some applications in biotechnology
J. M. Prausnitz
Chemical Engineering Department, University of California,
Berkeley and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Abstract: As biotechnology sweeps the world, it is appropriate
to remember that the great virtue of thermodynamics is its broad range
of applicability. As a result, there is a growing literature describing
how chemical thermodynamics can be used to inform processes for old
and new biochemical products for industry and medicine.A particular
application of molecular thermodynamics concerns separation of aqueous
proteins by selective precipitation. For this purpose, we need phase
diagrams; for constructing such diagrams, we need to understand not
only the qualitative nature of phase equilibria of aqueous proteins,
but also the quantitative intermolecular forces between proteins in
solution. Some examples are given to show how aqueous proteinprotein
forces can be calculated or measured to yield a potential of mean force
and how that potential is then used along with a statistical-thermodynamic
model to establish liquid liquid and liquid crystal equilibria.
Such equilibria are useful not only for separation processes, but also
for understanding diseases like Alzheimers, eye cataracts, and
sickle-cell anemia that appear to be caused by protein agglomeration.
*Rossini lecture presented at the 17th IUPAC Conference
on Chemical Thermodynamics (ICCT), Rostock, Germany, 28 July - 2 August
2002. Other presentations are published in this issue,
pp.859 -936.
Page last modified 10 July 2003.
Copyright © 2003 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Questions or comments about IUPAC, please contact, the Secretariat.
Questions regarding the website, please contact web
manager.