X-ray characterization of melanins--II.

Structural modeling of amorphous eumelanin has been carried out by comparing calculated data, S(q) and RDF(r), in reciprocal and real space, respectively, for limited random network models with the experimental X-ray scattering data of tyrosine melanin (Cheng et al., 1994). A basic picture of the atomic arrangements in amorphous eumelanin, which accounts for the short and intermediate range order, has been formulated. This reveals domains of a fundamental "particle" dimension of R approximately 15 A, consisting of a paracrystalline array of disordered planar networks polymerized by 4-8 DHI monomers with a graphite-like stacking spacing of approximately 3.45 A, 4-5 layers thick.