Intercalation of amino acids and peptides into Mg-Al layered double hydroxide by reconstruction method

The intercalation of amino acids and some peptides into Mg-Al layered double hydroxide known as hydrotalcite was examined. Although the intercalation by ion-exchange method was unsuccessful, all the amino acids except for Lys and Arg, and peptides examined could be intercalated into the layered double hydroxide by reconstruction method using Mg-Al oxide precursor. The uptake amounts of amino acids and peptides were 0.9-2.7 mmol per 1 g of LDH. Intercalation compounds were examined by using XRD and solid-state NMR. For Gly, Ala, Ser, Thr, Pro, Asn, Gln, Asp, Glu, and aspartame the intercalation accompanied the expansion of interlayer distance of the solid products, whereas the other amino acids and oligoglycine showed no expansion. The intercalation mechanism and release profile in K2CO3 aqueous solution were also investigated. And the cointercalation of amino acids and peptides into Mg-Al LDH and easy release of amino acids from the LDH layer were found. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.