Melanins are multifunctional, biological materials found in virtually every organism. They are best known as sunscreens that color the hair, skin, and eyes of mammals, but they also play myriad other roles, and often in parts of the body that are not exposed to light. Despite their critical function in biology, the structures of melanins remain poorly understood. Unlike the carefully controlled enzymatic processes that assemble DNA or polypeptides, melanins are produced by aerobic oxidations of aminophenols that afford dynamic mixtures of redox-active fragments that are largely insoluble. This talk will describe our efforts to address the challenge of understanding melanin's structure by using a bottom-up, synthetic approach. By dissecting melanin biosynthesis into 3-disctete phases of chain-growth, chain-oxidation and chain-aggregation, we show that low-molecular weight, atomistically defined fragments can exhibit signature melanin-properties, including near-IR absorption, a persistent radical signal and ultra-fast, excited state decay. The talk will disclose the first synthesis of a kinetically stabilized, high-potential indole-5,6-<i>ortho</i>-quinone, and chart a path towards structure-property relationships that could help to design the next generation of melanin-inspired materials.

Bottom-up synthetic approach to the melanin challenge

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.