Two-phase model for describing the interactions between copper ions and exopolymers from Alteromonas atlantica

Interactions between copper ions and exopolymer from the marine film-forming bacterium Alteromonas atlantica were evaluated by a two-phase model that treats the polymer as if it exists in a phase separate from the bulk solution. The model takes into account electrostatic interactions and molecular volume changes within the polymer phase to determine the copper activity in the domain where copper interacts with the ligands on the polymer molecule(s). The volume of the polymer phase varied with pH, ionic strength, and copper ion concentration. Exopolymer recovered from chemostat cultures grown at different dilution rates exhibited unique interligand distances, number of ionizable ligands, and molecular volumes. The variations in physical properties, in part, reflected differences in polymer chemistry. The exopolymer contained a lower density of ionizable groups and a smaller molecular volume per number of ionizable groups than alginic acid. The numerical procedure yielded a stability constant of 1 × 105 L/mol for a type I complex between copper ion and exopolymer produced at a dilution rate of 0.02 h−1 that was valid over a range of hydrogen ion concentrations and ionic strengths. The approach provided useful insight on how environmental variables affect the physicochemical properties of microbial exopolymers. Key words: exopolysaccharide, metal ions, chemostat culture.