title: Fast intracrystalline hydration of beta-chitin revealed by combined microdrop generation and on-line synchrotron radiation microdiffraction.
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.
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, B.P. 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex France.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rössle
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flot
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burghammer
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Riekel
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chanzy
mesh_terms: D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization; D007700:Kinetics; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D002686:Chitin