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. 2005 Aug 11;436(7052):791.
doi: 10.1038/436791a.

Phytochemistry: structure of the blue cornflower pigment

Masaaki Shiono  1 , Naohiro Matsugaki, Kosaku Takeda
Affiliations

Phytochemistry: structure of the blue cornflower pigment

Masaaki Shiono et al. Nature. .

Abstract

The same anthocyanin pigment makes roses red but cornflowers blue, a phenomenon that has so far not been entirely explained. Here we describe the X-ray crystal structure of the cornflower pigment, which reveals that its blue colour arises from a complex of six molecules each of anthocyanin and flavone, with one ferric iron, one magnesium and two calcium ions. We believe that this tetrametal complex may represent a previously undiscovered type of supermolecular pigment.

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