Light Scattering for Determination of Molecular Weight and Radius of Gyration

Light scattering of macromolecules in solution has seen increasing interest over the past decades from scientists studying polymers and proteins. Since the mid 1950’s and its inception, size exclusion (or gel permeation) chromatography (GPC/SEC) has been the standard technique for the characterization of molecular weight distributions by separating macromolecules according to their size. The addition of light scattering detection online with GPC/SEC systems allows the measurement of true – or absolute – molecular weight of macromolecules, as opposed to the relative values obtained from conventional column calibration techniques. Moreover, light scattering can also provide size and conformation of macromolecules without any assumption on shape.