Abstract
FOR many years the melting points of both synthetic and natural phospholipids have been measured and recorded1–3. An examination of a given class of phospholipids reveals that these melting points are, to a large extent, independent of the fatty acid residues present. Thus, 2-oleoyl-3-stearoyl-L-1-phosphatidylcholine and 2,3-distearoyl-L-1-phosphatidylcholine both have recorded melting points3 of 230°–231° C. The thermal transitions of phospholipids are difficult to observe with normal melting equipment, even when using a microscope. Occasionally some workers have observed ‘sintering points’, corresponding to thermal transitions, which occur below the normal melting point. However, the relevance of these points has never been demonstrated.
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CHAPMAN, D., COLLIN, D. Differential Thermal Analysis of Phospholipids. Nature 206, 189 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/206189a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/206189a0
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