Laser spectroscopy exposes organization of water molecules under model membrane surfaces

Monday, September 27, 2010 - 12:21 in Biology & Nature

The behavior of water molecules as they contact biological substances has long puzzled scientists. The first few layers of interfacial water can display complex arrangements that distinctly influence biochemical reactivity and function. Mapping these interfaces, however, is extremely difficult because chemical signatures of surface-bound water are often swamped by bulk liquid signals. Now, researchers led by Tahei Tahara from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako, Japan, have developed a laser spectroscopy technique that conclusively determines the orientation of water molecules beneath charged lipid layers -- the primary components of cell membranes.

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