The phase diagram of the binary system composed of octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and water was investigated and the phase boundaries were determined. Polarising optical microscopy was used to define the different phases, proton and deuterium NMR experiments to define the region of existence of the different phases and to obtain information on axiality and head group solvation. DSC experiments were performed to determine the thermal transitions from solid to thermotropic liquid crystals for octyl-beta-D-gluco-pyranoside, the related alkylglucosides or maltosides, and to gain information on the role played by sugar units in the thermodynamics of such phase transitions

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The physicochemical features of mixed cationic liposomes formulated with 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcoline and one of three stereomeric cationic gemini surfactants were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, fluorescence, TEM and dynamic laser light scattering. Actually, it was shown that the different stereochemistry of these gemini can strongly influence their capability of condensing and transfecting a plasmid DNA and of delivering a photosensitizer. The results obtained in this investigation show that the stereochemistry of liposome components and their percentage in the formulation may have dramatic effects on the organization of the lipid bilayer and hence on the morphological and physicochemical features of vesicles, thus being highly relevant to the biological features evaluated previously