Search results for "African snail"

Modeling red coral (Corallium rubrum) and African snail (Helixia aspersa) shell pigments: Raman spectroscopy versus DFT studies

2016

Pigments from red coral (Corallium rubrum) and African snail (Helixia aspersa) shell were studied non-invasively using Raman spectroscopy with 1064-nm laser beam. The two observed bands because of organic pigments confined in biomineralized CaCO3 matrix at about 1500 and 1100 cm−1 were assigned to ν(C[DOUBLE BOND]C) and ν(C―C), respectively. Both signals originate from polyene(s) of largely unknown structure, containing several conjugated C[DOUBLE BOND]C bonds. The small peak at 1016 cm−1 in the Raman spectrum of coral pigment was assigned to in-plane ―CH3 rocking or structural deformation of polyene chain because of spatial confinement in the mineral matrix. The organic pigments in red cor…