Our interpretation so far does not fully explain the continuous NMR signal decrease between 60 and 45 • C (Figures and). This signal decrease must be related to the noncrystallizing C30d in the membrane, since all other n-alkane molecules should already be crystalline at this point. However, the associated lipid/alkane gel transition does not happen until about 35 • C. Generally, lipid ordering decreases with increasing temperature even in the liquid-crystalline phase , and lipid dynamics are also affected irrespective of phase transitions . It is possible that changing lipid dynamics affect the n-alkane NMR relaxation rates sufficiently to result in intermediate-motion lineshapes and signal loss even before the actual phase transition.