Metal ion induced dissolution of melanin extracted from the bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum

Department of Bioinformatics, West Bengal University of Technology, BF-142, Sector-1, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700 064, India E-mail : ban_raja@yahoo.com, banraja10@gmail.com Fax : 91-33-2334-1030 Manuscript received online 28 July 2013, accepted 11 September 2013 Naturally occurring pigment, melanins, although participate in innumerable biological functions, has not been amenable for analyses due to its heterogeneous and insoluble nature. An effort has been made here to search for a few solvents that can dissolve melanin (extracted from bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum as well as synthetic) to an appreciable amount to facilitate spectroscopic study towards its characterization. Moreover, as melanin has a high affinity for metal ions, interaction of melanins with metal ion(s) can be an avenue for enhancing the solubility of melanins in these solvents and can be utilized in various biotechnological applications