ACTA BIOCHIMICA POLONICA
vel. 27 1900 No. 2
ANDRZEJ GALAT
SFUDY OF THE RAMAN SCATTERING AND INFRARED ABSORPTION
SPECTRA OF BRANCHED POLYSACCHARIDES*
Institute of Biology, Teachers’ Training College,
Zolnierska 14; 10-561 Olsziyn, Poland
Raman scattering and infrared absorption spectra of glycogen and starch were
recorded over the range of 4000-50 cm-*, and the observed bands were correlated
with the vibrational modes. It was shown that the spectral regions within 1050-970
em" and 900-780 cm~', where the specific Raman scattering and infrared bands
of solvated hydroxy! groups and glycosidic linkages are found, can be applied success
fully in the studies on the conformation and structure of branched polysaccharides.
Raman scattering and infrared absorption spectroscopy have been recently
applied for the elucidation of the structure and conformation of carbohydrates
(Cael et al., 1975; Tu et al., 1977; Gatat & Popowicz, 1978a,b). However, a number
of the polysaccharides commonly occurring in nature, e. g. dextran, glycogen and
starch contain cross-linked chains. While dextran has been thoroughly investigated
by Vasko et al, (1971) and Heyn (1974), only fragmentary information is available
concerning the structure and conformation of the storage polysaccharides, such as
starch and glycogen. These compounds usually occur as compact structures, which
exhibit considerable resistance against temperature, various chemicals and radiation.
‘Though starch and glycogen may vary from species to species, the essential feature
of their structure and conformation presumably remains the same irrespective of
thieir diverse biological origin. In this paper the infrared and Raman scattering
spectra of starch from potatoes and glycogen from rabbit liver are analysed and
discussed,
EXPERIMENTAL,
The Raman scattering spectra were measured over the range of 3800 - 200 cm~*
with a CARY 82 spectrometer, in solid state, using an argon ion laser (5145 A), at the
power level of 100 mW. The samples were irradiated in a laser beam for 0.5 - 1h,
* This paper is’ based on work performed under the contract R.TIT.13.3.4,
1135)1136 A. GaLar 1980
then the Raman spectra were recorded. The spectral bandwidth was kept within
6-45 cm-".
‘The infrared spectra were recorded over the range of 4000-50 cm=?, with a
Perkin-Elmer 180 spectrophotometer in KBr pellets (4000 - 400 m="), poly(chloro-
trifluoroethylene) oil on CsI plates (4000 - 1300 cm~!), Nujol om Csl plates (1300 -
400. cm~#) and in Nujol in polyethylene cells in the far infrared region (450 - 50.cm~").
In this study highly purified samples of starch from potatoes (B.D.H., England),
and glycogen from rabbit liver (Biomed, Krakéw, Poland) were used.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The infrared absorption aad Raman scattering spectra of glycogen and starch
are shown in Figs. 1-4. The band frequencies and intensities, with the suggested
assignments to bond modes, are summarized in Table 1.
Wad
0
Transmittance (%)
F
a ae
205 ‘000 0
Weave number (om)
Fig. 1. Infrared spectrum of glycogen recorded within the range 4000 - 50-cm~',
000
Unsubstituted carbohydrates exhibit only a few bands in the spectral region within
4000 - 1500 cm}, Essentially in this region only hydrogen-bonded OH groups and
skeletal CH and CH, may be expected. The hydtoxyl groups self-associated by
hydrogen bonds give a strong and broad band, with the center of gravity within
3500 - 3200 cm~1. Howevel, it is still extremely difficult to find a reasonable corte-
lation between these intense OH stretching modes and vibrational states, due to the
complicated network of inter- and intra-moleculat hydrogen bonds occurring in
polysaccharide structure.
‘A second group of bands, strong in Raman spectra and of moderate intensity
in IR speetra, is found within 3000 - 1800 cm-1; they are due to the CH and CH;
symmetrical and antisymmetrical stretching vibrations, and extensive studies haveVol. 27 RAMAN AND IR SPECTRA OF BRANCHED POLYSACCHARIDES 337
Transmittance (%)
a z
ait 00 00 0
205
Wave number em)
Fig. 2. Infrared spectrum of starch recorded within the range 4000-50 m=‘.
been performed to correlate the infrared and Raman bands of this region to bond.
modes (Liang & Marchessault, 1959; Galat & Popowicz, 1978a,b). Another distinct
band, which is usually recorded at about 1635 cm™, is related to the vibrations of
bound water molecules (Heyn, 1974; Tu e7 al., 1978). In the solid state the observed
intensity of this “water band” is dependent on the number of water molecules asso-
ciated with polysaccharide particles, and inherently bound to the molecules “crystal
water” (Heyn, 1974).
109 —
8
Intensity (%)
a
2000
Wave nuaiber (oni?)
Fig, 3. Raman scattering spectrum of glycogen in the solid state, Within the range 2000 - 50 cm="
‘the spectrum was recorded using a higher intensity of an argon laser (see upper panel of this
spectrum),138 A. GALAT 1980
00
Wave number (on)
Fig. 4, Raman scattering spectrum of starch in the solid state. Within the range 2000 - 50 em=*
the spectrum was recorded using a higher intensity of an argon Taser (see upper panel of this
spectrum).
Several bands observed in the range 1506 - 1000 cm™* correspond to the CH and
CH, in-plane bending and wagging vibrations, and to the COH deformation modes.
‘The C-OH deformation modes mostly occur between 1250 - 970 cm=?. The infrared
bands of this spectral region related with the vibration modes of CH and CH,
fairly correspond with the Raman scattering bands, while a part of the C-OH group
vibrations are absent from the Raman spectra. These facts are fully related with
the symmetry of each sugar unit, which is low in the inherently asymmetrical poly-
saccharide structure. Especially interesting is the spectral region from 1050 to
970 cm~', where infrared spectroscopy offers an advantage over the Raman spectro-
scopy. In this region glycogen exhibits two distinct and well resolved infrared bands,
while starch shows only one broad band. Neither of these bands coriesponds to
any Raman band. in the case of glycogen the bands at about 1025 and 1000 cm~*
cotrelate with the C-OH stretching vibrations of solvated alcohol groups (one water
molecule), and with the stretching vibrations of highly solvated alcohol groups,
respectively (Heyn, 1974), whereas starch exhibits only one band of considerable
intensity at about 1015 cm7*, These facts led to the conclusion that in starch all
the hydroxyl groups are essentially random solvated and therefore exhibit a wide
spectrum of solvated states (broad IR band), while in glycogen the anisotropically
solvated alcohol groups are present, leading to two different vibrational modes
(two distinct LR bands). Furthermore, if these bands are related to the vibrational
modes of solvated hydroxyl groups of polysaccharide, then their absence in the
Raman scattering spectra is fully explained. Thus, the spectral region within 1050
and 970 cm? may serve as an approximate criterion of polysaccharide heterogeneity.
The band detected at about 930 cm~! in the infrared spectra, and at about
940 cm-? in the Raman spectra of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides was assignedVol. 27 - RAMAN AND IR SPECTRA OF BRANCHED POLYSACCHARIDES 139
Table 4
The band frequencies (em-), intensities and band assignments of infrared absorption
and Raman scattering spectra of glycogen and starch
The bands are designated as:s, strong: m, moderate; w, weak; YW, very Weak; br, broad: sh, shoulder.
Starch ;
ig) Raman Assignments
3300 s¢br) 3300 s(br) | 3300 ni(br) | Hydrogen bonded OH stretching
2920s | 2930 mésh) | 2920s | 2930 sh)._| (CH and CHa
2870 mh) | 2910s | 2880 m | 2910s stretching
2860 mish) vibrations
1635 m 163m | water band
1460s | 140m | 455s 140s CH bending in plane
1375s | 1388 m_—| 1375;s 13805 CH bending in plane
1365 mish) | |
1340 m— | 1340. m_—_ | 1335 mGh) | 1335 8 COH bending
1300 w 100w | CH bending I
1265 m(br) 1260 m , ‘
1240 w | 1240 mish) | 1240 w | 1240 méohy | |CH2OH related modes |
1205 w | 1220 wish) | 1200 w | 1210 m CORE deforamtion,
1450 811125 s(be) | 1180 8 | 1150 mt | JCCORE ansisrmmetsic ridge sree
i |e i ,
! | 1c.0-€ vibrations
1100s | 1085 m_ | 1100 w(sh) | 1125 mh)
1075s | 1065 mish) | 1075s | 1110 m__| {COM stretching, .
i | Hoes | [antisymmetric in plane ring
| | | 1065 s | [stretching
1025 stbr) | 1015 s(or) | COH solvated
{1000 amish) COH highly solvated
960 wish) | | |
930m | 90m | 930m | 9408 ring modes \
895 mh) 890 «895m 900 w | CCI+H(G) bending modes
45m | 80s | Sm | ROSS CAHI@) bending, modes
s00w | Ss | water band |
790 vw | 780 m(br) | 790 ww | COC stretching j
760 m 755m | 165m | CHa rod
13s | mom | T188 715 m
eee am | Se Jout-of-phase bending of hydrogen
| Sw m | ef bonded hydroxyl
60m | iw cosw — | Giow —_| | bonded hydrons! groups |
515s | 585 m 570m 380m |
| 525m | 515 mash) $20 mobo) | 525 w
440 m(br) | 445 m 410 w 408 |
410 m 410m
350 w 345w || 360m —_—_ different skeletal modes.
| 228m
| 34m | 320 m
i | 270m | 280 wien |
243 m 23w
228 wibs) | |
| bw ont w140 A. GARAT. 1980
‘Glycogen ‘Starch ;
ar | Raman IR | Raman ‘Avsigoments
195 w 195 w(bs)
188 s{br) 179 |
12m mw
1357 m 160 w
139m 142 w(be)
133 m 133 m
12m
2m | 108 w
100m |
95 m(br) 87m
Bm 82m
69 m 1m
| 4m
to out-of-phase C-O-C ring vibrations (Heyn, 1974), whereas Cael ef al. (1974)
assigned this band to skeletal modes related to a(1-»4) linkages. While, in these
two conclusions similar groups of atoms were taken into account, it has not been
unambigously established which one of these two vibrations might te related with
the tand within 930-940 cm-!.
‘Two distinct IR bands at about 895 and 845 em-? correspond to the C(1)-H(A),
“f-configuration”, and C(1)-H(q), “a-configuration” bending modes. From the
measurements of the peak area (e.g. Koenig et al., 1977) for these bands, the molar
raiio of P-glycosidic to a-glycosidic linkages in branched polysaccharide can be
derived, Because of the roughly equal intensity of these bands in the infrared and
Raman scattering spectra of glycogen and starch, it may be concluded that in these
compounds f-and a-linkages between sugar units are almost equally distributed.
At present it is difficult to resolve into component bands the spectral region
discussed above, as it was recently done with the amide 1 and amide J
overlapping bands of the infrared spectra of chitin (Gatat et al., 1979). However,
this method could certainly facilitate the estimation of the average number
of the interchain cross-linkages occurring in branched polysaccharides, where
different f- and/or a(1+3), a(1+4), and o(1-+6) intersugar bonds may be found.
On the shoulder of the distinct and sharp band situated at about 765 cm~'
two very small bands were visible. positioned at about 800 and 780 cm-*. Accor-
ding to Heyn (1974) these bands reflect the vibration of “organized” bound water
(chain configuration), and (1-3) branching modes, respectively. A considerable
number of intense and overlapping bands occurring below 700 cm™? were assigned
to C-O-H rocking, out-of-plane bending modes of the hydrogen-bonded hydroxyl
groups, out-of-plane CH bending and CH; deformation vibrations (Susi & Ard,
1974; Tulchinsky er af., 1976). In this spectral region also other bands certainly
occur but are masked by those of higher intensity (see Table 1). This fact, unfor-Vol 27. RAMAN AND IR SPECTRA OF BRANCHED POLYSACCHARIDES Mt
tunately, limits considerably the possibility of resolving the IR. and Raman spectra
into component bands, and of reasonable assignment of these bands to particular
bond modes. However, accumulation of more extensive data on the IR and Raman
spectra of different sugars and polysaccharides (Galat, in prepatation) would facili-
tate estimation of the stucture and conformation both of polysaccharides and simpler
oligosaccharides with the use of computer-assisted analysis.
In the far-infrared region a number of Raman bands were recorded but at pre-
sent it is rather difficult to assign them to any bond modes. More bands can be
expected to occur in this spectral region, especially in the IR spectra, which might
be visible only when the measurements are carried out at the liquid He temperature
(Hineno & Yoshinaga, 1972).
We are indebted to Mr. M. Proniewicz of the Jagellonian University for recording
the Raman spectra
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