Can Ultraviolet Spectrophotometry Be Used for the Quantitative Analysis of Amino Acids and Proteins
Ultraviolet spectrophotometry (UV-Vis spectrophotometry) is a widely employed technique for the quantitative analysis of amino acids and proteins.
1. Quantitative Analysis of Amino Acids
Certain amino acids, such as tryptophan and tyrosine, possess intrinsic ultraviolet absorbance, particularly around 280 nm. Therefore, UV-Vis spectrophotometry can be used directly for their quantitative determination. In contrast, amino acids that lack UV absorbance require chemical derivatization or alternative approaches to enable their detection.
2. Quantitative Analysis of Proteins
Proteins exhibit absorbance near 280 nm primarily due to the presence of tryptophan and tyrosine residues. As a result, UV-Vis spectrophotometry is commonly applied for protein quantification. This method offers the advantages of being fast and not requiring chemical labeling. However, because the content of tryptophan and tyrosine can vary significantly among different proteins, the accuracy of this approach is influenced by the specific protein composition.
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