Researchers find hints of a ‘hidden state’ involving one of Earth’s most abundant ions

While conducting an otherwise straightforward investigation into the assembly mechanism of calcium-phosphate clusters, researchers made a surprising discovery: Phosphate ions in water have a curious habit of spontaneously alternating between their commonly encountered hydrated state and a mysterious, previously unreported ‘dark’ state. This recently uncovered behavior, they say, has implications for understanding the role of phosphate species in biocatalysis, cellular energy balance and the formation of biomaterials.

Source: ScienceDaily.com