User:Revans2502/sandbox

Lithium dodecyl sulfate
Lithium dodecyl sulfate (LDS) is an inorganic compound with the molecular formula LiC12H25SO4. It contains a structure very similar to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and is also used as an anionic detergent and a reliable surfactant. This product is best used in low temperatures in comparison to its sodium counterpart, while maintaining its amphiphilic properties.

Structure and Properties
The structure of LDS contains a sulfate group that is attached to a 12-carbon chain, accompanied with a lithium cation near its sulfate group. Although there is very minimal difference between LDS and the other dodecyl sulfate derivatives, the cation of lithium makes the molecule more polarized in aqueous solutions and has a higher critical micelle concentration (CMC) value than SDS, altering its surface tension. The lithium cation makes the molecule more soluble and more adaptive to conditions that may be unfavorable for other detergents and surfactants. This property arises from the modifications of the sulfur-oxygen stretching bands, depending on the cation attached.

Electrophoresis
Because LDS is an excellent anionic detergent, its use in the processes of electrophoresis is paramount, especially under 4°C. This prevents the detergent from precipitating into a solid when identifying more components that are more compatible in the cold, such as SDS, which is only able to perform properly at room temperature. LDS can also provide as a useful tool for membrane proteins that cannot be identified by chaotropic agents.

Since LDS is abe to perform electrophoresis efficiently, especially at cold temperatures, it becomes useful for investigating various proteins in bacterial species, such as Haemophilus influenzae. Some of the bacteria tested through this process can possess hydrophobic proteins that can only be detected through the presence of strong anionic detergents, such as LDS, providing large applications for the medical field. LDS allows hydrophobic proteins to become dispersed into aqueous media through the combination of their nonpolar carbon tails and polar sulfate groups. The amphiphilic features of this molecule allow for the process of electrophoresis to occur.

Medicinal
The molecule's ability to identify hydrophobic proteins allow it to be mandatory for detecting a rotavirus in human feces. If cold temperatures and neutral pH is applied to the laboratory setting while investigating the virus, a 1% solution of LDS can safely detect the virus's RNA sample to view for possible vaccines and treatments without destroying it. Although it is not quite as effective as SDS in interfering with the structure of the virus, the safe usage of cold LDS in feces allows for testing to be done efficiently, especially with limiting factors of time and space in the centrifuge.

The ability of LDS to interact with proteins can also occur directly in the body to help the immune system function properly. Specifically, LDS and other anionic detergents can interact with flavocytochrome b, a key factor for the electron transport chain of cells by converting extracellular oxygen to a super-oxide anion, allowing for protecting against sicknesses. When the designated detergent, such as LDS, binds to the protein, it can increase the affinity of O2 and activate the oxidase. This results in greater protection for the immune system, due to the production of more super-oxide anions to combat an incoming infection.

Chromatography
The mixture of LDS and a compound called Lithium Perfluoro Octane Sulfonate (LPFOS) is commonly used for micellar electrokinetic chromatography. A combination of a hydrogen-acidic and hydrogen-basic molecule allows for the wide range of polarity, making the chromatography technique a reliable tool for analysis. Its properties of having more hydrocarbon bonds and a higher electron affinity make LDS a good base to use as a surfactant in this process. Without the addition of LDS, the surfactant would not have a wider range of polarity, due to LDS's hydrogen basicity. This would result in a very limited chromatographic result for various tests.