The effect of electric charge on the diffusion of macromolecules

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Abstract
We have determined the time for the relaxation of concentration fluctuations in solutions of bovine serum albumin as a function of the protein charge and the ionic strength of the solution. The relaxation rates for fluctuations whose wavelengths were of the order of the wavelength of light were determined from the temporal correlations in the intensity of the light scattered from the fluctuations. The experimental results are compared with the theory of M. J. Stephen. While the theory provides a qualitative understanding of the results, the restrictions inherent in the Debye‐Hückel approximation prevent a quantitative agreement between the theory and the experimental data.