Critical micelle concentration (CMC): Difference between revisions

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'''Critical micelle concentration (CMC)''' is defined as the concentration of detergents above which micelles are spontaneously formed. The CMC is important in biology because at concentrations above it the detergents form complexes with lipophilic proteins. Below this borderline, detergents merely partition into membranes without solubilising membrane proteins.
'''Critical micelle concentration (CMC)''' is defined as the concentration of detergents above which micelles are spontaneously formed. The CMC is important in biology because at concentrations above it the detergents form complexes with lipophilic proteins. Below this borderline, detergents merely partition into membranes without solubilising membrane proteins.
== Sources ==
* [http://www.emdbiosciences.com/docs/docs/LIT/Detergents_CB0733_E.pdf Biological detergents, Calbiochem Guide]
* [http://www.med.ufl.edu/biochem/bch6206/DETERGENTS.pdf Commonly used detergents, Frost Lecture, UFL]

Revision as of 06:07, 28 July 2009

Schematic of a phospholipid micelle

Critical micelle concentration (CMC) is defined as the concentration of detergents above which micelles are spontaneously formed. The CMC is important in biology because at concentrations above it the detergents form complexes with lipophilic proteins. Below this borderline, detergents merely partition into membranes without solubilising membrane proteins.


Sources