Simple and sensitive technique for investigation of desorption properties

Abstract

The technique of thermally stimulated pressure (TSP) is described and has been applied to study the state of bound water on crystallised lysozyme at hydration levels of 0–24 mg of water per gram of protein. If it is assumed that for the low densities used the molecules of water are bound to independent sites in the macromolecule of lysozyme, first-order kinetics can be used to fit the experimental pressure versus temperature graphs. The activation energy is 37.63 kJ mol^–1.