抄録
Conformational change of poly-L-serine, as a model compound related to sericin, accompanied by heat treatment under humidity was investigated by means of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimeter (TG), an infrared spectrometer and an x-ray diffractometer. Water was absorbed and tightly bounded to the void in a crystalline region or an amorphous region of poly-L-serine by the heat treatment in the presence of water. TG and DSC measurements indicated that the water was eliminated in the course of heating at above 200°C. It was confirmed that the degree of reorientation of the side chain and the interaction between β-sheets, which were formed by corss β molecular chain, increased during the heating.
