Nuclear magnetic resonance study of acetic acid permeation of large unilamellar vesicle membranes.

The permeation of acetic acid through large unilamellar phospholipid vesicle membranes has been investigated using the unique capability of nuclear magnetic resonance to characterize flow under pseudo-equilibrium conditions. Two types of experiments have been employed: total line shape analysis and selective population transfer. These techniques are sensitive to permeation on time scales ranging form 0.001 to 10.0 s. The permeation rate dependence on pH and acetic acid concentration indicates that the neutral acetic acid monomer is the dominant permeant species with a permeation coefficient of 5 +/- 2 x 10-4 cm/s. Mechanisms of permeation and the applicability of nuclear magnetic resonance methodology are discussed.