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Science 9 November 1984:
Vol. 226. no. 4675, pp. 647 - 650
DOI: 10.1126/science.226.4675.647
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Articles

Dynamics of Conformational Transitions in Polymers

Eugene Helfand 1

1 Member of the technical staff of AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974.

Conformational transitions in polymers involve large angle rotations about bonds. The process must proceed in a way that does not require gross movements of the macromolecules. The dynamics have been investigated by computer simulation and kinetic theory. The rate-determining step in the transition is found to occur in a mode which is kept local by distortion of nearby parts of the molecule. One especially important type of cooperativity, crank-like counterrotation of second-neighbor bonds, is identified. Experiments which provide evidence about the dynamics of conformational transitions are discussed.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Molecular Dynamics in Ordered Structures: Computer Simulation and Experimental Results for Nylon 66 Crystals.
J. J. Wendoloski, K. H. Gardner, J. Hirschinger, H. Miura, and A. D. English (1990)
Science 247, 431-436
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