Uneven distribution of palmitoyl carnitine in solutions because of migration to air/water interphase.

Standard solutions of palmitoyl carnitine could not be prepared in water because, even at below critical micelle concentrations, palmitoyl carnitine did not distribute uniformly in solutions. Evidence indicates that palmitoyl carnitine prefers to leave the bulk phase to segregate readily at the water/air and water/apolar interphases. Thus, in metabolic and kinetic studies, the actual concentration of long-chain acyl carnitines available for reactions at any instant can be drastically different from that calculated from the amounts added.