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Photochemical and Photobiological Reviews pp 115–134Cite as

The Melanins: Their Synthesis and Structure

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Abstract

Although the melanins are among the most widely distributed and visible of the biological pigments, the understanding of their synthesis, structure, and function has been a story so prolonged as to constitute a case study in the history of biology. From the early commentary by Aristotle (315 b.c.), to the most recent investigations, the study of melanins has involved virtually every applicable chemical and physical technique, and the motivation in this research has reflected the biological fashions of each era. Notwithstanding these efforts, we still do not know their chemical structures or molecular weights, their mode of. synthesis is not yet agreed upon, a satisfactory nomenclature remains to be devised, and even their biological roles are more a matter of surmise than proof.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Marsden S. Blois

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  1. Marsden S. Blois
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford University School of Medicine, USA

    Kendric C. Smith

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© 1978 Plenum Press, New York

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Blois, M.S. (1978). The Melanins: Their Synthesis and Structure. In: Smith, K.C. (eds) Photochemical and Photobiological Reviews. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2580-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2580-2_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-2582-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-2580-2

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