SpectroLight 600/610

Non-Invasiveness

Dynamic Light Scattering is one of the few non-invasive methods. Particle motion can be visualised, detected and quantified in terms of size and frequency of occurrence simultaneously and fully automatically. To detect particle size, a coherent beam of light (laser) is focused on a liquid sample. Most of the light passes through the sample volume without being scattered. However, some photons are scattered by macromolecules that cross the light path without converting the light into other forms of energy such as heat or electron excitation. In this way, all of the energy introduced into the sample in the form of light is released without energy conversion, also known as ‘elastic scattering’. This is the key feature of the non-invasive detection principle.

Non-invasiveness enables continuous monitoring of even critical solutions, such as highly saturated crystallisation solutions or highly heat-sensitive samples. Our DLS products use non-invasiveness to extract important particle size information from a tiny drop of sample (800 – 80 nl). This information qualifies or sometimes disqualifies a protein batch for subsequent structural characterisation and, by eliminating unqualified samples, contributes significantly to the overall success rate of structure determination.

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