Analytical Chemistry: Sharp-tipped gold nanoparticles
embedded in a thin porous film help researchers spot a small molecule mixed in
with large proteins
When analytical chemists want to detect small organic
molecules in biological samples, they have to contend with proteins and nucleic
acids. These large biomolecules often get in the way during analysis. Now,
researchers report a thin-film material that acts as a molecular sieve,
filtering out the large molecules and allowing small ones through for detection
by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2013, DOI:
10.1021/jz4014085).