Abstract
This chapter discusses the use of light - scattering for the measurement of the molecular weight and size of proteins. The osmotic pressure method gives the average number molecular weight, and the light-scattering method gives a weight average. If there is a distribution of molecular weights in a sample these two values may be quite different and this difference in itself may be a useful guide to the homogeneity of the preparation. For proteins, it is usually the molecular weight of the most frequent particle that is of interest and therefore, it is the average number value that is required. Light-scattering measurements, which can be more easily biased by small amounts of high molecular weight impurities or by aggregation, should always be checked by an examination preferably in the ultracentrifuge of the homogeneity of the sample. Agreement between the light-scattering and the osmotic pressure molecular weights is a good indication of mono-dispersity.
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