Angewandte Chemie International Edition · 2013 · 331 citations · 23 references
Natural SciencesBiochemistryChemistryOrganic ChemistryPolymer ChemistrySupramolecular ChemistryColor ChemistryOptical PolymersPolymer PhysicsPolymer StructureSupramolecular MaterialsSupramolecular PolymersAnthocyanin ChemistryAnthocyanin DerivativesChromophore DesignMelanin ChemistryMelanin Optical PropertiesMelanin SynthesisOrganic PigmentsPolymeric Pigments
The black we wear: Why nature selected 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) to synthesize (photo)protective eumelanin pigments is an enigma. Synthetic DHICA eumelanin has now been shown to be a highly efficient free-radical scavenger in the solid state, which is due to a conformationally interrupted π-electron network associated with atypical optical, paramagnetic, and aggregation properties.
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