Adsorption of amino acids on periodic mesoporous organosilicas

In this study, we prepared periodic mesoporous organosilica(PMO) materials from 4,4-bis(triethoxysilyl)biphenyl, 1,4-bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene and bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]amine as precursors and investigated on their adsorption behavior of various amino acids as a guest material under various conditions such as different kinds of PMOs as absorbents, various concentrations of amino acids and pH. For amino acids, we tested glycine, L-lysine, and isoleucine. Adsorption of various amino acids on PMOs has been characterized by a UV–Vis spectroscopy using the ninhydrin reaction. The adsorption behavior was strongly dependent on the isoelectric point and hydrophobicity of the PMO as well as the hydrophobicity of an amino acid.