Going beyond Mother Nature's molecules to target radioactive metals

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists are working with Penn State University to improve natural molecules that can be used to target radioactive elements in nuclear waste or used in nuclear medicine.

The most effective molecule in nature can still be improved for non-natural applications. The team bio engineered nature's most potent protein for lanthanides to make it even moreselective for actinide elements. Actinium, plutonium, and americium are radioactive metals that are present in nuclear waste.

The journal Chemical Science contains the research. Natural compounds can interact with nuclear waste in the environment and the results could lead to new compounds for detecting radioactive metals.

The team designed, synthesized and characterized five different versions ofLanM to improve its actinide-binding properties. They found that the presence of water molecule that bridge the metal andprotein molecule is important for controlling the stability and metal preferences of the metal-protein complexes. The scientists were able to improve the ability to discriminate between actinide and lanthanide elements because of this design principle.

The two families of elements found in nuclear waste, actinides and lanthanides, are found in some of the most sought after Molecules that areselective for actinides over lanthanides are among the most coveted because they would allow for a more efficient management of radioactive materials. New separation systems for applications in nuclear waste and radiochemistry could be the result of the team's discovery. The discovery of LanM by the Penn State members of the team in the fall of last year has led to the exploration of applications of this peerless natural molecule in the field of nuclear sciences.

Gauthier Deblonde, a co-lead author of the study, said that it was the first study where someone made changes to lanmodulin to improve its metal binding properties.

New research shows that macromolecules, such as proteins, have an extended set of chemical interactions that can be tailored to target specific metals.

This study shows that this remarkableProtein has a way to discriminate between metals that differ from one another in subtle ways. Joseph Cotruvo, Jr., Penn State assistant professor of chemistry and a co-lead author of the study, said that this realization is an important step toward high- performance LanM-based separation methods.

More information: Joseph A. Mattocks et al, Engineering lanmodulin's selectivity for actinides over lanthanides by controlling solvent coordination and second-sphere interactions, Chemical Science (2022). DOI: 10.1039/D2SC01261H Journal information: Chemical Science Citation: Going beyond Mother Nature's molecules to target radioactive metals (2022, May 17) retrieved 17 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-mother-nature-molecules-radioactive-metals.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.