Diffusion coefficient measurement by the "stop-flow" method in a 5% collagen gel.

We measured the translational bulk diffusion coefficient (D) of solute in a collagen gel column of 5% concentration (wt/wt) by a new, noninvasive method applicable to a wide range of solutes and gels. The system also enabled measurement of solute partition coefficients and convective flow velocity since the gel was contained within a chromatography column. The spread of diffusing solute in the gel column is measured during an interval of stopped flow in this method. Experimentally determined values of D/D degrees (free aqueous diffusion coefficient) ranged from 0.24 (3H2O) to 0.13 (ovalbumin) as anticipated by observations of other investigators from interstitium in heart and mesentery, but were significantly smaller than predicted by the widely used Ogston gel model with parameters extracted from partition coefficient data.