This book provides an introduction to optical anisotropy (linear dichroism, LD) and optical activity (circular dichroism, CD) as techniques for the study of structures and interactions of molecules in solution. The book covers the use of these techniques for both small and large molecular systems with particular emphasis being placed on proteins and nucleic acids. CD is a well-established technique and this book aims to explain how it can be used simply and effectively for new entrants to the field as well as covering more advanced techniques for experts. LD is often seen as a rather exotic method intended only for experienced spectroscopists. This book demonstrates that it is an approach with real utility that may be used by both students and scientists from graduate level onwards to give simple answers, which are not available from any other technique, to structural and kinetic questions. Much of the emphasis is on flow orientation of samples in solution phase. The book first describes the techniques and the information they can provide; it then goes on to give specific details on how to actually implement them, including a wide range of examples showing how LD and CD can help with * protein and nucleic acid secondary structure elucidation; * analysis of the formation and rearrangements of fibrous proteins and membrane proteins; * identification of the absolute configuration of small molecules; * determination of the orientation of small molecules in anisotropic media; * assignment of transition moment polarizations; * investigation of binding strengths and geometries of ligand-macromolecule complexes; * 3-D structure determination from LD, molecular replacement and MD modeling. The advantages of combined LD/CD studies are also outlined with examples of DNA/drug complexes and protein insertion into membranes. Taken together the book represents a comprehensive text on the theory and application of LD and CD in the chemical and biological sciences.

This book provides an introduction to all those who wish to use the complementary spectroscopic techniques of optical activity (circular dichroism, CD) and optical anisotropy (linear dichroism, LD) for the study of the structure of molecules and interactions between molecules in solution. It emphasizes these techniques and how to use them for both low and high molecular weight molecules. The book begins by describing the principles behind CD and LD and how these techniques can be used in the laboratory without using advanced maths or quantum mechanics. The next chapters describe how both techniques may be applied to the study of biological macromolecules and give a detailed description of how they may be used on small molecules to investigate molecular and electronic structure. The final part contains theoretical derivations of all the equations required for the applications described previously. Specific molecular examples are used to illustrate concepts and to show the reader how to use the techniques in chemical and biological systems. Circular Dichroism and Linear Dichroism is an easy guide to what a prospective user of CD needs to know and explains how LD is not merely an exotic technique only to be practiced by experienced spectroscopists, but may be routinely and usefully employed as an aid to molecular structure determination.

Presents an account of circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and its application to structural biology. This book covers the methods of synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) and linear dichroism (LD).

The book is a technical guide for chemists and spectroscopists, and presents a concise description of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy and how it has advanced the interpretation of molecular electronic spectra. Provides a practical guide to utilizing MCD spectroscopy for chemists starting in the field Written by an expert with over twenty years of experience in the field Helps the reader to visualize the optical spectroscopic effects presented by MCD measurements Includes practical considerations for experimental MCD measurements based on the author's experience Written as a general discussion of the subject matter, with illustrative examples provided and discussed in the case studies to show the breadth of application of MCD measurements.

''Excellent and very timely....It will undoubtedly become a standard reference for the application of circular dichroism (CD) to biomolecules.'' --- Quarterly Review of Biology, March 1997 ''[T]estament to the book's utility is the fact that during the course of my review I had to 'rescue' it from the desks of graduate students on an almost daily basis. In summary, this is a great book.'' --- American Scientist ''Well documented chapters provide a very good insight into the problems surrounding the conformation of biomacromolecules...An indispensible source of information.'' --- Nahrung, 42(2), 1998 Renowned experts present the first state-of-the-art description of circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD). Chapters present in-depth discussions of the history of the field, the theory of CD for application to globular proteins, membrane proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and their interactions, carbohydrates, and instrumentation. Discussions also feature new techniques using synchrotron radiation, vibrational Raman optical activity, and vibrational CD. More than 250 illustrations supplement the text.

CD and MCD spectroscopy can provide key information about the conformations and electronic states of chromophore containing molecules. However, the theory has remained too challenging and inaccessible for many organic chemists and biochemists and only a few researchers have carried out detailed quantitative analyses of their spectral data. This is not surprising as people who excel at spectroscopic theory usually lack the skills set required to design and synthesise the molecules that would be most appropriate for describing and explaining the theory of CD and MCD spectroscopy. Most of the books that have been written on the subject have, therefore, been based on very dense sets of mathematical equations. This timely book rectifies that situation by summarizing the relationship between the different types of spectra and by describing in detail the qualitative and quantitative methods which can readily be used to analyse CD and MCD spectral data. During the last decade the authors have successfully synthesized several molecules to illustrate key points related to the theory of CD and MCD spectroscopy, resulting in this definitive book providing key practical knowledge in a readily accessible style. It is aimed primarily at organic chemists and biochemists and is required reading for researchers active in the field. In the introduction, the book describes the types of information that can be derived from CD and MCD spectroscopy. After a detailed explanation of the theory of electronic absorption spectroscopy, it then provides practical in depth examples of the various analytical methods that can be carried out with CD and MCD spectral data. This makes the theory of these techniques much more accessible for researchers who do not specialise in physical chemistry. The book concludes by briefly summarizing the key mathematical expressions associated with each technique.