Relation between dielectric behavior and structure in some solid polypeptides

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Abstract
An attempt to interpret the prominent dielectric relaxations of poly(γ‐benzyl L‐glutamate) and poly(γ‐methyl L‐glutamate) in terms of their structures was made by applying the barrier theory of Hoffman. Potential energy maps for the rotation of the polar side group, which are required in this application, were calculated by taking account of molecular environment of the polar side group. The dichroic ratios from infrared measurements were satisfactorily calculated, based on the maps. This provides evidence that the maps are reliable. In applying the barrier theory, it was modified by the assumption that the conformations of the side groups are distributed according to the Boltzmann law. On the basis of the maps, the magnitude of the dielectric absorption and the mean relaxation time were calculated in terms of the modified barrier theory; these were in fairly good agreement with the experimental data.