Flow birefringence: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m (Bot: Automated text replacement (-{{SIB}} + & -{{EJ}} + & -{{EH}} + & -{{Editor Join}} + & -{{Editor Help}} +)) |
(No difference)
|
Latest revision as of 02:45, 9 August 2012
Overview
In biochemistry, flow birefringence is a hydrodynamic technique for measuring the rotational diffusion constants (or, equivalently, the rotational drag coefficients. The birefringence of a solution sandwiched between two concentric cylinders is measured as a function of the difference in rotational speed between the inner and outer cylinders. The flow tends to orient an ellipsoidal particle (typically, a protein, virus, etc.) in one direction, whereas rotational diffusion (tumbling) causes the molecule to become disoriented. The equilibrium between these two processes as a function of the flow provides a measure of the axial ratio of the ellipsoidal particle.
See also
Template:Protein structure determination
Template:WH
Template:WS