Spectromicroscopy at the organic-inorganic interface in biominerals

Abstract

After a brief introduction to biomineralization, we describe x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectromicroscopy, and how this approach explores the poorly understood mechanisms of biomineral formation. In particular, XANES identifies the molecular groups forming chemical bonds at the organic-inorganic interface. The first two experiments, on microbial polysaccharide-FeOOH mineralized filaments and on a synthetic peptide, are discussed.