Abstract
Concentrated solutions of polyribonucleotides, poly(A), poly(G), poly(I), poly(C), and poly(U), were studied by polarizing micrography, diffraction of laser light, visible absorptivity, circular dichroism, X-ray diffraction, and viscometry. The experimental data obtained suggest that these homopolymer molecules aggregate to form liquid crystals when in ordered conformations and that except those of poly(G), the liquid crystals are chiral and probably of the cholesteric type. The helical sense of the chiral texture varies with polyribonucleotides.
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Iizuka, E. Mesomorphic Behavior of Concentrated Solutions of Polyribonucleotides. Polym J 15, 525–535 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1295/polymj.15.525
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1295/polymj.15.525