Synthesis and Structure of Molecular Gold Nanoparticles

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

The award in the Inorganic, Bioiinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program in the Division of Chemistry and the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research supports research by Professor Roger Kornberg at Stanford University to: 1) synthesize and perform X-ray crystal structures on gold nanoparticles, ranging in size from 1.5 to 3 nm; 2) analyze the chemical and physical properties of the gold-102 nanoparticle and additional nanoparticles; 3) conjugate these nanoparticles with proteins, DNA, and ligands of biological interest by procedures previously devised; and, 4) employ nanoparticle-scFv conjugates for the rapid structure determination of biological particles to near atomic resolution by cryo-electron microscopy, without a requirement for crystallization. The intellectual merit of the proposed research lies in the contribution to the fundamental basis of nanochemistry. An application of particular interest for this proposal is the rapid structure determination to near atomic resolution of even very large, scarce biological particles.