The polypeptide hormone, insulin, is known to aggregate into a hexamer in the presence of zinc ions. The Langmuir monolayer technique can be used to examine the transition between active monomeric insulin molecules and the hexameric form which is more difficult for the body to use. Distinctive isotherm characteristics for both monomeric insulin and hexameric insulin were observed. Zinc (II) chloride is added to the model membrane system to create hexamers of insulin. Conditions of the system are altered to learn about the dependence of insulin's molecular conformation on factors such as pH and concentration. Chelating agents, such as (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) EDTA and citrate are added to effectively remove the zinc ion from the solution and observe the behavior of the insulin molecules. With the addition of EDTA to the monolayer of zinc exposed insulin, monomeric isotherm characteristics were noted, indicating the removal of zinc from the insulin hexamer and the creation of monomeric insulin. These molecular conformational changes affect the function of the insulin molecule in the human body.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.