The bioactivity of a series of sodium n-alkylsulfates (C6-C10 and C12) was studied with flow calorimetry to follow in real time the calorimetric effect on the metabolic rate of the bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum. All the compounds showed a linear plot of the fraction of control metabolic heat rate against log (dose). From these plots the value of dose max (the dose producing zero metabolic heat rate) for each compound was evaluated. The value of dose max is correlated with the chain length of the molecule, showing that their biological activity is directly proportional to the lipophilicity of the compound.
flow calorimetry; Chromobacterium violaceum; homologous series; sodium n-alkylsulfates; bioactivity
