Screening the Incorporation of Amino Acids into an Inorganic Crystalline Host: the Case of Calcite

• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201201079
• Publication Date: 2012-06-20T08:26:18Z
• Authors: Shirly Borukhin; Leonid Bloch; Tzvia Radlauer; Adrian H. Hill; Andrew N. Fitch; Boaz Pokroy
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

Abstract Organisms have the ability to produce structures with superior characteristics as in course of biomineralization. One most intriguing biominerals is existence intracrystalline macromolecules. Despite several studies over last two decades and efforts mimic incoporation macromolecules synthetically, a fundamental understanding mechanism incorporation yet lacking. For example, which common 20 amino acids are really responsible for interaction mineral phase? Here reductionist approach, based on high‐resolution synchrotron powder diffraction analytical chemistry, utilized screen all these terms their into calcite. We showed that important factors amino‐acid charge, size, rigidity relative pKa carboxyl functional groups. It also demonstrated cysteine, surprisingly, interacts very strongly phase therefore, like acidic acids, becomes richly incorporated. The insights gained from this study shed new light organic molecules an inorganic host general, particular biomineralization process.