High-Pressure Scanning Microcalorimetry – A New Method for Studying Conformational and Phase Transitions

Abstract

The development of high-pressure scanning microcalorimetry and the first results studying transitions in proteins, lipids, and model polymers are reviewed. Special attention is given to changes (increments) in volume parameters upon transitions as well as the nature of these changes. It is demonstrated that the use of the model of compound transfer reaction in its purest form for assessment of denaturation volume effects failed due to serious difficulties.