Investigations of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions in polymer-water systems by AIR FTIR and Raman spectroscopy

ATR FTIR and Raman spectra of polymers containing amide groups in the main chain and in the side chain and of the amide low-molecular-weight model compounds in water media were measured. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions of the dissolved compounds with the neighboring water molecules are reflected in the wavenumbers of the CH(3) stretching and of the Amide I and II vibrations. The possibility of the existence of beta-sheet-like structures in polypeptides surrounded by water molecules is also discussed. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.