New accessory for studies of isotopic 1H/2H exchange and biomolecular interactions using transmission infrared spectroscopy.

We present here a new accessory for IR transmission measurements of 1H/2H exchange, as an ancillary tool for monitoring structural features of biomolecules in aqueous solution. This new accessory results from the combination of two dialysis membranes and a conventional liquid cell having two cylinders containing 2H2O buffer. When compared with conventional transmission measurements, carried out either after dissolving lyophilized biomolecules in 2H2O or after dialyzing the aqueous solution considered against 2H2O buffer, this accessory shows the following advantages: (1) controlled measurements over the initial steps of this isotopic exchange and absence of molecular aggregation, and (2) smaller sample amounts. This new Fourier transform IR cell can also be used to analyze ligand-biomolecule and drug-cell interactions.