Abstract
The A-and B-form are two of the most common structural conformations of double strand DNA present in nature and they can interchange on the basis of the helices hydration [1,2]. Herein we demonstrate that the use of nondestructive techniques such as Raman spectroscopy coupled with the use of a super-hydrophobic device, allows the clear identification of the DNA hydration state, of the backbone (phosphate + deoxyribose sugar) conformation and of the nucleotides. There is a wide prospect for an increase of knowledge in biomolecules using this combined approach resulting in a significant impact in the study of more complex supramolecular assemblies and of fine chemical variation along the genomic loci undergoing to epigenetic variations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.