Melanin

Broadly, melanin is any of the polyacetylene, polyaniline, and polypyrrole "blacks" or their mixed copolymers. The most common form of biological melanin is a polymer of either or both of two monomer molecules: indolequinone, and dihydroxyindole carboxylic acid. In contrast, some fungal melanin is polyacetylene black. Melanin exists in the plant, animal and protista kingdoms, where, among other functions, it serves as a pigment. The presence of melanin in the archaea and bacteria kingdoms is an issue of ongoing scholarly disagreement.

Related Topics:
Polymer - Monomer - Molecules - Plant - Animal - Protista - Pigment

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