Use of circularly polarized light to study biological macromolecules

Abstract

Differential absorption of circularly polarized light has long been used to study chiral molecules. Here we will emphasize the newer experimental and theoretical methods which are especially applicable to macromolecules. They include fluorescence-detected circular dichroism, the angular dependence of the differential scattering of circularly polarized light, the analysis of the contribution of this differential scattering to differential extinction of circularly polarized light, and the measurement and interpretation of images based on circular differential extinction. © 1984 IUPAC