Nucleic acid spectrophotometry on paper disks
Hörer, O.L.; Enache, C.
Virologie 34(3): 177-182
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0253-181X PMID: 6195809 Document Number: 213320
A bichromatic spectrophotometry study in the near UV spectral range was performed on paper disks impregnated with DNA and RNA in NaCl solutions of different concentrations. Absorbance curves plotted vs. a NaCl molarity log-scale had different shapes, depending on the single or double stranded structure, the degree of polymerization and the solubility of the polynucleotide. The -a/b value, determined by a previously reported equation, appeared to be constant for a given nucleic acid, irrespective of the wavelength in the spectral range 205-280 nm. This phenomenon cannot be attributed to a heterogeneous macroscopic distribution of the nucleic acid throughout the disk.