Determination of molecular weight by neutron scattering

Abstract Theoretical and practical advantages of neutron scattering for the determination of molecular weights of particles in solution are discussed. The method presented does not use known particles for calibration and is applicable to a wide molecular weight range (10 4 –10 9 ); it is not sensitive to assumptions about the partial specific volume of the particles, and the experiments are performed quite easily in standard spectrophotometer cells using 100–500 μg of material. The method is nondestructive and the sample can be recovered totally. The use of D 2 O in solvents has particular advantages especially for multicomponent particles, for which the in situ molecular weight of each component can be determined separately.