Vibrational Raman optical activity of biological molecules

Advances in Raman optical activity (ROA) instrumentation based on the employment of a backscattering geometry together with a cooled CCD detector have now enhanced the sensitivity to the level necessary to provide vibrational ROA spectra of biological molecules in aqueous solution. Preliminary results on peptides and proteins show features originating in coupled Ca-H and N-H deformations of the peptide backbone which appear to be sensitive to the secondary conformation. Also carbohydrates show many features that appear to be characteristic of the central aspects of carbohydrate architecture with effects from the glycosidic link in di- and oligosaccharides particularly prominent. 1.