Direct determination of oxidation state of gold deposits in metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella algae using X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (XANES).

X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) was successfully employed to determine the gold valence in the metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella algae after exposure to a 1 mM aqueous HAuCl4 solution for 10-120 min. XANES spectra revealed the oxidation state of gold in the bacterial cells to be Au(0) without any contribution from Au(III), demonstrating that S. algae cells can reduce AuCl4- ions to elemental gold.