The effect of sonication on the hydrocarbon chain conformation in model membrane systems: a Raman spectroscopic study.

Raman spectra are presented for egg lecithin above and below the gelliquid crystal phase transition, and several regions of the Raman spectrum are shown to be sensitive to conformational changes in the hydrocarbon chains. These regions are used to investigate the effect of sonication on the structure of egg lecithin and dipalmitoyl lecithin vesicles. Sonication of both egg lecithin above Tm, and dipalmitoyl lecithin above and below Tm produces no change in the relative population of trans and gauche isomers in any of the systems studied. Sonication does however appear to effect interchain interactions, a possible consequence of imperfect packing towards the center of the bilayers in vesicle systems.