Infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance studies of some surface properties of asbestos-albumin interactions.

The interaction capacity of asbestos with albumin was studied. Asbestos fibres were treated with bovine serum albumin and were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (IR) spectrometry, conventional IR spectrometry and wide-line nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. In asbestos, the presence of active sites on the surface of the fibres was evidenced through external and internal OH stretching vibrations. It was also demonstrated that in asbestos fibres treated with albumin mixed hydrogen bonds of the type O-H...Nalbumin or O...H-Nalbumin occur. A physical interaction between asbestos fibres and albumin was demonstrated.