Adsorption kinetics of globular proteins and protein/surfactant complexes at the liquid–gas interface

Abstract

A simple model based on the Smoluchovski equation is developed to describe the adsorption kinetics of globular proteins and their complexes with ionic surfactants at the gas–liquid interface. The results of calculations are compared with the data of ellipsometric measurements for solutions of the complexes between bovine serum albumin and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The charge of the complex is the only fitting parameter. The obtained values are much less than those calculated from the ionization constant of amino and carboxylic groups but agree with the data obtained from the electrophoretic mobility (B. Jachimska et al., Langmuir, 2008, 24, 6866).