Polymer conformation in mixed aqueous-polar organic solvents

The conformation of the common polysaccharide dextran has been investigated in mixed solvents at two different temperatures using viscosity measurements. In particular we considered binary mixtures of water with the polar organic solvents glycerol, formamide, dimethylsulfoxide, or ethanol. The intrinsic viscosity of dextran T500 in the different systems has been determined, and the solvent effects, as manifested in variations of the dextran intrinsic viscosity and coil radius, have been correlated to the surface tension and the fractional solubility parameters of the solvent mixture. The coil dimension changes observed in the different solvent mixtures are consistent with expectations from water–cosolvent–dextran interactions, especially as they pertain to hydrogen bonding.