Amorphous aggregates with a very wide size distribution play a central role in crystal nucleation.

ABSTRACT: There is mounting evidence that crystal nucleation from supersaturated solution involves the formation and reorganization of prenucleation clusters, contradicting classical nucleation theory. One of the key unresolved issues pertains to the origin, composition, and structure of these clusters. Here, a range of amino acids and peptides is investigated using light scattering, mass spectrometry, and in situ terahertz Raman spectroscopy, showing that the presence of amorphous aggregates is a general phenomenon in supersaturated solutions. Significantly, these aggregates are found on a vast range of length scales from dimers to 30-mers to the nanometre and even micrometre scale, implying a continuous distribution throughout this range. Larger amorphous aggregates are sites of spontaneous

SUBMITTER: Liao Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11304771 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature