Raman study of pressure-induced phase transitions in amino acid crystals

摘要

High pressure has increased in importance as a technique for investigating structure and function of biological systems and molecules, as the protein folding and some functions of living organisms [1]. Among these systems we find the amino acids, small molecules with the general formula R-CH(NH_2)COOH, where R is a radical that characterizes the different types of such fundamental structures. The combinations of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids, in a sequence that can vary from 200 to 1000 units, produce all proteins of plant and animal lives.