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Fast intracrystalline hydration of beta-chitin revealed by combined microdrop generation and on-line synchrotron
Manfred Rössle1, David Flot, Jens Engel
1European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, B.P. 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex France.
Biomacromolecules
|July 15, 2003
Abstract:
Water microdrops of about 50 microm in diameter, generated by an ink-jet system, have been used to hydrate fragments of Pogonophora tubes. In situ X-ray microdiffraction with a beam size of 10 microm was used to follow the structural transformations that affected the crystalline beta-chitin part of the specimens. Starting from anhydrous chitin, the formation of a full beta-chitin dihydrate was observed within about 90 s. A disordered intermediate phase with variable d-spacing that could be due to a mixture of anhydrous and hydrated beta-chitin layers was also detected.