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Handbook of Size Exclusion Chromatography and Related ...

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21<br />

Light Scattering <strong>and</strong> the<br />

Solution Properties <strong>of</strong><br />

Macromolecules<br />

Philip J. Wyatt<br />

Wyatt Technology Corporation<br />

Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A.<br />

1 INTRODUCTION<br />

It has now been many years since Burchard <strong>and</strong> Cowie (1) stressed the importance<br />

<strong>of</strong> light scattering in “ ...providing information in depth on ...polymers ...”<br />

Although light scattering was not the only method in use at that time (early 1971),<br />

the authors expressed their hope that it would become obvious “ ...to the<br />

unconverted that to neglect light scattering [MALS] would be to proceed under a<br />

distinct disadvantage ...” Since that time, there has been a great increase in the<br />

number <strong>of</strong> laboratories throughout the world that now use such techniques. A<br />

major impetus to this increased use <strong>of</strong> light scattering measurements, especially in<br />

combination with chromatographic separations, has been the advent <strong>of</strong> exceptional<br />

instrumentation <strong>and</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware.<br />

Of the three “absolute” techniques for the measurement <strong>of</strong> molar mass in<br />

solution (sedimentation equilibrium, membrane osmometry, <strong>and</strong> light scattering),<br />

only light scattering covers a great breadth <strong>of</strong> application (from a few 100 to 10 9 g/<br />

mol). It also represents the fastest <strong>and</strong> most versatile <strong>of</strong> the methods. Traditionally,<br />

measurements <strong>of</strong> light scattered by molecules in solution have been made over a<br />

© 2004 by Marcel Dekker, Inc.

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