part of each
phase was isolated. The composition of each phase was measured using
polarimetry30 (link) at four wavelengths (589,
546, 436, and 365 nm) on an Anton Paar MCP 500 polarimeter, allowing
simultaneous determination of the concentration of dextran and gelatin
of each isolated phase. For an elaborate description of the procedure,
see ref (31 (link)). We verified
that the specific rotation of dextran is independent of molar mass;
thereby, our measurements on systems containing both 20 and 70 kDa
dextran yield their combined mass fraction in each phase. These measurements
allow construction of phase diagrams and computation of the tie-line
length defined in terms of the difference in polymer mass fraction
between the two phases where wij indicates the (total)
mass fraction of dextran (A) or gelatin (B)
in each phase (denoted α and β).