High pressure behaviour of L-valine

L-valine is one of the alpha-amino acids that is essential for human life and is used in the synthesis of proteins. Like most amino acids, L-valine is an interesting material for non-linear optical applications. In an astrobiological context, L-valine has been found in meteorites, and therefore was likely delivered to planetary surfaces across the solar system. Since amino acids are likely break down on the surface due to the harsh radiation, this material is likely to be found in the deeper layers of planetary environments.

This work will investigate the high pressure behaviour of L-valine-d8 using neutron diffraction for the first time, which is essential for probing the hydrogen-bonded network of this material. The high pressure data will provide an equation of state for this material to be used in planetary modelling, and will investigate the potential phase transitions suggested by high-pressure Raman spectropscopy at 3.0 GPa and 5.3 GPa.