Changes in the electric characteristics of the inner surface of Escherichia coli cytoplasmic membrane after the binding of microdoses of copper to its outer surface

The electric characteristics of the surface structures of intact Escherichia coli spheroplasts and the spheroplasts with the outer membrane modified by microdoses of copper were studied by electron spin resonance using the positively charged spin probes of KATn type and the newly synthesized KAT15. The experimental results were analyzed using the Gouy-Chapman formalism. It was found that microdoses of copper ions bound to the outer surface of the cytoplasmic membrane influenced the charge density on the inner surface of the membrane.