Abstract
Two novel fluorinated surfactants have been obtained by grafting by radical reaction either a fluorocarbon or an ethyl end-capped fluorocarbon chain onto the double bond of b-D-allyl maltose. The two compounds thus obtained form polydisperse aggregates in water. They can keep membrane proteins water-soluble, but the protein/surfactant complexes are polydisperse, which affects neither the native state nor the stability of the proteins.