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14 February 2017
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Teaching is concentrated in the faculties and schools, and the departments deal with research, which is also conducted by institutes and chairs, at the same time responsible for knowledge promotion.
MicroCal Differential Scanning Calorimetry (microDSC) is specially designed to determine the thermal stability and specific heat of proteins and other biomacromolecules in dilute solutions where the sensitivity of conventional DSC is not sufficient
In order to request sample analysis by microDSC, you must contact the staff responsible for the equipment.
The toxicity and storage precautions of the samples must be reported. If unclaimed, surplus samples will be destroyed within one week of delivery of results.
As in the case of conventional DSC, in microDSC the heat absorbed or released by a sample is measured when it is subjected to a temperature program. However, the sensitivity of the microDSC is much higher than that of the conventional DSC, making it suitable for the study of low-energy processes.
At the instrumental/operational level, the main differences between both techniques are the way the heat flow is measured and the type of sample analysed.
Unlike conventional UAT DSCs, the microDSC equipment operates according to the “power compensation” principle. The team has two independent ovens, one for the sample and another for the reference. The same temperature program applies to both ovens, but when the sample undergoes an exothermic or endothermic process, the measured temperature will differ from the programmed one. The instrument will regulate the electrical power applied to the sample oven in order to maintain the same temperature in both ovens. This power difference with respect to the reference oven will directly be the measured heat flow.
Biological samples in solution are analysed by microDSC. Unlike the case of conventional DSC, where the samples are encapsulated, in microDSC both the sample solution and the reference are injected directly into a capillary that acts as a measuring cell.
Microcalorimetry is widely used in the study of biological samples, where the sensitivity of classic DSC is not sufficient. Among others, the following applications can be cited:
• Ligand-protein binding studies• Characterisation of the stability of biomacromolecules• Characterisation of protein structure• Study of lipids and interaction or phase changes in lipid membranes• Characterisation of nucleic acids, for example B-Z transitions in DNA
Pdf file of the technique
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