Neutron diffraction and Vitamin E

It is generally accepted that neutron diffraction from model membrane systems is an effective biophysical technique for determining membrane structure. Here we describe an example of how deuterium labelling can elucidate the location of specific membrane soluble molecules, including a brief discussion of the technique itself. We show that deuterium labelled α-tocopherol sits upright in the bilayer, as might be expected, but at very different locations within the bilayer, depending on the degree of lipid chain unsaturation.