Biological Macromolecules: UV‐visible Spectrophotometry
Franz‐Xaver Schmid, University of Bayreuth, Germany
Published online: April 2001
DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0003142
Abstract
Biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids absorb light in the UV‐visible region of the spectrum. Absorbance
measurements are used for measuring concentrations, for the detection of conformational changes and of ligand binding, and
for following enzyme reactions.
Keywords: absorbance; proteins; nucleic acids; enzymes; denaturation
Further Reading
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(1980)
An Introduction to Spectroscopy for Biochemists.
London: Academic Press.
Cantor CR and
Schimmel PR
(1980)
Biophysical Chemistry, part II.
San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.
Harris DA and
Bashford CL
(1987)
Spectrophotometry and Spectrofluorimetry: A Practical Approach.
Oxford: IRL Press.
Pace CN,
Vajdos F,
Fee L,
Grimsley G and
Gray T
(1995)
How to measure and predict the molar absorption coefficient of a protein?
Protein Science
4: 2411–2423.
Schmid FX
(1997)
Optical spectroscopy to characterize protein conformation and conformational changes.
In:
Creighton TE (ed.)
Protein Structure: A Practical Approach,
pp. 261–297.
Oxford: IRL Press