Infrared pump-probe investigation of melanin vibrational relaxations

CHED 988

Aaron Massari1, Sarah A. Weinreis, saweinre@mtu.edu2, and Audrey A. Eigner, eigner@chem.umn.edu1. (1) Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, (2) Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931
Melanin is a biological polymer of great interest to the scientific community. It is believed to play a role in the development of melanoma and Parkinson's disease, and its semiconducting properties make it a candidate for a variety of technological applications. While melanin is a substance of great importance, surprisingly little is known about its polymerization pathway and structure. The goal of this research is to compare energy dissipation properties of melanin samples prepared using a variety of techniques. The melanin samples were characterized using FTIR and studied using femtosecond infrared pump-probe spectroscopy. The pump-probe results allow for comparison of the samples' efficiency at dissipating energy. These results will indicate the extent to which different preparative techniques produce melanin polymers with similar structural characteristics.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Physical Chemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008