title: Gold nanoparticle formation during bromoaurate reduction by amino acids.
abstract: The synthesis and characterization of water-soluble dispersions of gold nanoparticles by the reduction of a potassium tetrabromoaurate precursor solution using the amino acids L-tyrosine, glycyl-L-tyrosine, and L-arginine using alkaline synthesis conditions are reported. The particle sizes determined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements are found to be inversely proportional to the rate of particle formation, which was determined by time-resolved UV-visible spectrophotometry measurements, and vary very slowly at intermediate gold concentrations and rapidly at the extremes. Dispersions produced with a mixture of the two amino acids glycyl-L-tyrosine and L-tyrosine showed particle sizes and particle size distributions which were directly proportional to the ratio of the two L-amino acids, thus offering the possibility for control over the properties of the gold nanoparticle dispersions.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Materials and Catalysis Group, School of Applied Sciences (Applied Chemistry), Science, Engineering and Technology Portfolio, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. suresh.bhargava@rmit.edu.au
authors.forename: Suresh K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Bhargava
authors.forename: Jamie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Sourabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coloe
authors.forename: Gopa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kar
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids; D001120:Arginine; D001966:Bromine; D004151:Dipeptides; D017612:Gold Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008958:Models, Molecular; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D014443:Tyrosine; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004151:Dipeptides; D017612:Gold Compounds; D014443:Tyrosine; D001120:Arginine; D001966:Bromine