Biologically relevant molecules studied in low temperature inert matrices

Abstract

Matrix isolation is a technique where gaseous atoms and molecules are trapped in an environment of solidified inert gases at temperatures close to absolute zero. The method was originally used to study free radicals and other short-lived chemical reaction intermediates, but receives nowadays many other uses, including its application to the study of molecules of biological importance. Without surprise, the method has been progressively catching the interest of biochemists and molecular biologists, and has been applied to many molecules with pharmaceutical or medical use. In this Chapter, we describe the use of matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy to investigate molecules of biological interest. The fundamentals of the technique are briefly presented, and examples of its application to the study of different phenomena in a series of selected molecules of biological relevance are provided