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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Atomic Force Microscopy Combined with Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Probe Single Bacterium Chemistry
Published on: September 15, 2020
Use of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to identify microbial metabolic products
Heather A Bullen1, Stuart A Oehrle, Ariel F Bennett
1Department of Chemistry, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA.
Abstract:
This paper demonstrates the use of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to detect microbial metabolic products on carbonate mineral surfaces. By creating an ATR-FTIR spectral database for specific organic acids using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy we were able to distinguish metabolic acids on calcite surfaces following Escherichia coli growth. The production of these acids by E. coli was verified using high-performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detection. The development of this technique has allowed us to identify microbial metabolic products on carbonate surfaces in nutrient-limited cave environments.
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