Molecular versus tissue liquids: An atomic length?

摘要

For the monatomic classical liquids like Ar, Kr and Xe, it has long been known that near the triple point, the product of surface tension σ and isothermal compressibility KT, having dimensions of length, is less than 1?. More recently, a similar result has been established from experimental data on some 20 organic liquids. The purpose of this article is to raise a possibly interesting question with experimentalists working on complex molecular liquids as well as biological cell assemblies. Thus, we first draw attention to measurements of the compressibility of some 25 proteins in water. Can complementary measurements of surface tension be carried out on at least some of these systems? And is the product σKT a length of order of an ? or so? Second, we note existing measurements of surface tension σ on five embryonic tissues and ask essentially the same question as to whether or not the product σKT is of atomic dimensions. Finally, via a biopsy of a tumour which might provide material to yield an approximately spherical aggregate of the cancerous cells, is σKT measurable and if so, is this product dependent on the presence of the tumour?