Oxygen diffusion coefficient and oxygen permeability of metmyoglobin solutions determined in a diffusion chamber using a non-steady state method.

Abstract

Non-steady state measurements of oxygen diffusion through various model layers can be performed using a diffusion chamber that was described earlier [1, 2]. A closer analysis of these measurements showed that they not only yield the oxygen diffusion coefficient (DO2) of the diffusion layer, but also the oxygen permeability (PO2). In this study DO2 and PO2 have been determined in solutions of metmyoglobin (metMb) with concentrations varying between 5 and 40 g/dL at 25 degrees C. Both DO2 and PO2 decreased with increasing metMb concentration. This decrease was comparable to the values reported for DO2 in protein solutions by Kreuzer and Hoofd [3]. Using this diffusion chamber for non-steady state measurements, oxygen diffusion coefficients, oxygen permeability and oxygen solubility (aO2 = PO2/DO2) of various model layers could be determined.