R4: Mineral sciences of the Earth surface

[R4-05] Contribution of organic molecules in plant opal to silica nanoparticle formation

Nozomu Yamazaki¹, *Jun Kawano¹, Noriaki Ozaki², Kyoto Miwa³, Takaya Nagai¹ (1. Hokkaido Univ. Sci., 2. Akita Pref. Univ. Biol. Env., 3. Hokkaido Univ. Env. Sci.)

Keywords:plant opal, silicification

To clarify the effect of organic molecules on the formation of amorphous silica in grass plants, synthesis of amorphous silica was conducted with peptide extracted from sorghum. under pH 6~8, nanoparticles were formed as seen in plant opals, and the particle size decreased continuously with increasing pH. The molecular structure revealed by the infrared spectroscopy indicates that organic molecules in plant opal can clearly promote silica polymerization.