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Chaotropic activity
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<p>Chaotropicity describes the <a href="/facts/Entropic/s52IXeFz">entropic</a> disordering of <a href="/facts/Lipid/TdQR87HX">lipid</a> bilayers and other <a href="/facts/Macromolecule/039ULSLg">biomacromolecules</a> which is caused by <a href="/facts/Chemical_substance/EWcXU41d">substances</a> dissolved in <a href="/facts/Water/0lkXnJPK">water</a>. According to the original usage and work carried out on <a href="/facts/Cellular_stress_response/cJodtRUo">cellular stress mechanisms and responses</a>,[3] chaotropic <a href="/facts/Chemical_substance/EWcXU41d">substances</a> do not necessarily disorder the structure of <a href="/facts/Water/0lkXnJPK">water</a>. </p><p>The chaotropic activities of <a href="/facts/Solutes/MGchhMQV">solutes</a> in the aqueous phase (e.g. <a href="/facts/Ethanol/3lCLfBSP">ethanol</a>, <a href="/facts/Butanol/KkvSRuCb">butanol</a>, <a href="/facts/Urea/6j84AoCG">urea</a>, <a href="/facts/Magnesium_chloride/uk1f69LG">MgCl2</a>, and <a href="/facts/Phenol/ACJs5NIU">phenol</a>) have been <a href="/facts/Quantification_(science)/5YoKbeTW">quantified</a> using an agar-gelation <a href="/facts/Assay/fPUYjx1I">assay</a>. Whereas chaotropicity was first applied to studies of <a href="/facts/Ions/fXGhgbFc">ions</a>, it is equally applicable to <a href="/facts/Alcohols/Y0SCTDkh">alcohols</a>, <a href="/facts/Aromatics/3EXq8Tgf">aromatics</a>, <a href="/facts/Ion/wrbwhF3z">ion</a> mixtures, and other <a href="/facts/Solutes/MGchhMQV">solutes</a>.[3] Furthermore, <a href="/facts/Hydrophobic/Ifya0CXQ">hydrophobic</a> substances known to stress cellular systems (including <a href="/facts/Benzene/Fguue7nr">benzene</a> and <a href="/facts/Toluene/Pzdt8dwD">toluene</a>) can chaotropically disorder <a href="/facts/Macromolecules/039ULSLg">macromolecules</a> and induce a chaotrope-stress response in <a href="/facts/Microorganisms/pysJYcE2">microbial cells</a>, even though they <a href="/facts/Partition_coefficient/D4aTlBal">partition</a> into the <a href="/facts/Hydrophobic/Ifya0CXQ">hydrophobic</a> domains of <a href="/facts/Macromolecular/039ULSLg">macromolecular</a> systems. </p>