Unconventional Zwitterionic State of L-Cysteine
We report the signature of an unconventional zwitterion in thick (>40 angstrom) L-cysteine films grown at low temperature (100 K) by means of sublimation in ultrahigh vacuum. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) we find that protonated amino groups (57%) are less prevalent than in films grown at higher temperatures. A large majority of the protonated amino groups receive the hydrogen throu