Nanometallomics

Nuclear-based Metallomics in Metallic Nanomaterials Nanometallomics... 

However, the metals or metalloids (metallome) studied in metallomics are generally referred to metal compounds or naturally occurring macro-scale (bulk) ones. In this chapter, we will focus specifically on metals or metalloids and metallic materials in nano-scale, through which we proposed the term nanometallomics . 

Nanometallomics will study (1) quantification of nano-scaled metal(loid)s and metallic nanomaterials of interest in biological systems (2) distributions of studied nano-sealed metal(loid)s and metallie nanomaterials in biological systems (3) the speciation of given nano-sealed metal(loid)s (4) the structural analysis of the nanometallome (5) the elueidation of reaetions and related mechanisms of nanometallome (6) metabolisms of nanometallome and (7) the specific nano-scaled metal(loid)-assisted funetion bioseienees in medieine, environment science, food science, agrieulture, toxieology, and bioehemistry. 

Besides, neutron and X-ray scattering can also be used for the characterization of nanometallome. More information on neutron and X-ray scattering can be found in Chapter 7. The application of X-ray scattering in characterization of nanometallomes will be shown here later. 

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is one of the most important nuclear techniques for nanometallome quantification, as it can simultaneously measure more than 30 elements in a sample. The detection limits of NAA range from 10 to 10 gg In typically instrumental NAA, stable nuclides ( Z, the target nucleus) in the sample undergo neutron capture reactions in a flux of (incident) neutrons. The radioactive nuclides the compound nucleus)... 

Based on nanometallome quantification in different tissues, ICP-MS can also be applied to study the body distribution of nanometallome. 

For the determination of the metallome structure, different nuclear-base techniques can be applied, like X-ray crystallography and solution structure determination by multi-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Other techniques capable of offering the data mainly include Mossbauer spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectrometry (XAS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and neutron scattering. However, in the structural analysis of nanometallome, XAS is the most often used techniques through literature. 

Figure 11.25 Selected nuclear techniques for nanometallomics studies.

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