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Y. Ishigami, Y. Gama, F. Ishii, and Y. K. Choi
[Langmuir 1993, Vol.9, pp.1634-1636]
Rhamnolipid B (RB), a microbially excreted biosurfactant, was characterized by interfacial and biological activities in comparison with the corresponding methyl ester (RB-Me) and divalent cationic salts. RB may be able to control interfacial behavior by the functional conversion of carboxylic moieties depending on the environmental pH, as RB has two hydrophilic moieties of disaccharide and carboxylic acid. On the other hand, RB-Me showed a large wetting action for polymer surfaces and biomenbranes, and a considerable lowering of the interfacial tension (0.1 mN/m) at the octane-solution interface.
