It has been found that when nanoparticles are spraying on plant leaves, an appreciable amounts are stored in the vacuole. There are many literature presented that plants are synthesizing nanoparticles. But my question is whether they are really synthesizing it or nanoparticles stored in vacuole is coming out with time.
Plants really synthesized nanoparticles which are proved by literature. The polyphenolic contents in the plants extract are responsible for reduction of metals ion into their corresponding nanoparticles. Mechanisms of formation of nanoparticles from (Materials Research Bulletin 48 (2013) 4531–4537) is here in the attached image.
Its true that cells do not synthesize nanoparticles.
But there are evidences of nanoparticles getting accumulated in hyper metal accumulator plants.
In one of our experiments we observed accumulation of copper nanoparticles in the cells of plant treated with copper sulfate.
Cells do not synthesize nanoparticles, but the cellular environment trigger formation of nanoparticles of metal ions that reach either root or shoot cells.
Moreover, in the phytosynthesis of nanoparticles we use plant extracts to synthesize nanoparticles from different salt solutions
Dear Peter Kapusta,
You can develop a urinosynthesis of nanoparticles as well. But you need to standardize the process and characterize the particles as well as their uses.
Phytosynthesis is not an accidental process. It is a purposeful search for specifically medicated nanoparticles, which have medical applications.
It is a repeatable standardized process, which needs to satisfy all conditions of scientific process.
There is no meaning in becoming prejudiced or arrogant to any science, which appears irrelevant to us!
A student of science has the responsibility to critically analyze the process and should raise relevant questions.
What are the mechanisms involved then in synthesizing nanoparticles by the plants?
Plants do not synthesized nanoparticles but their aqueous extract can.....
Colleagues, are there some specific metal accumulating plants in nature ,based mineralogy of below ground?Are the accumulated metals in nanosize?
One cannot completely rule out whether plants synthesize nanoparticles or not; also there is no conclusive answer on whether plants have uses of nanoparticles.
But it is quite clear that plants with metal hyper accumulation capacities do absorb and accumulate certain specific metals many thousand times excess of that in the soils and many often the accumulated metals appear as nanoparticles in them.
Specific hyper accumulators for Nickel, Cadmium, Gold and others are now well known.
Thlaspi caerulescens is a well known hyper accumulator used in phytoremediation.
Whether the metals are accumulated in the plant as nanoparticles need to be confirmed.
Our common mustard plant also is known hyper accumulator of several metals.
Every living cells is a nanoword.Every biological events happing in cell is deriven by nanoscale molecules..either it is protein synthesis or other metabolic pathways. So cell synthesizing nanomaterial including metal nanoparticles.Plant is a source of reductase enzymes that participate in metal particle synthesis
Take any extract of plant and do DLS analysis majority of nanoparticle could be recoved depends on plant species as wal as metabolic situation of that plant
Dr.Vinod ,interesting information.It seems to me that plants use ionic forms of nutrients for their metabolic requirements/needs and convert the same ionic forms into metals when the ionic forms are in excess ,by reduction process.Then ,when there is requirement for the nutrients through external application,what difference it will make if one applies it in the ionic form or metal form(nanoparticles)?
Dr. Rao ionic forms are very reactive and immediately it becomes mega particle after agglomeration/ reaction and sometimes become unavailable forms but radicle or metal forms of nanoparticles are more stable.
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