The influence of a mixed anionic system on the aggregation behaviour of agarose

The influence of mixtures of iodide and fluoride ions on the spin–spin relaxation time (T2) thermal profiles of agarose gels has been investigated. Data show that the temperature shifts in both the ordering and disordering events produced by fluoride/iodide anionic mixtures are additive over all concentration ranges studied. In addition, the relative temperature shifts produced by iodide/fluoride mixtures are independent of agarose concentration. A qualitative model describing the observed ion effects on agarose aggregation behaviour is proposed.