The aim of this book is to provide 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. The emphasis of the book is on what the techniques are and how to use them for both low and high molecular weight molecules. It is intended to be 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 practised by experienced spectroscopists, but may be routinely and usefully employed as an aid to molecular structure determination.

Circular Dichroism and Linear Dichroism is the first book that is an easy, directly applicable manual to the use and interpretation of both CD and LD. It will be of use to both novices and experienced researchers in the field.

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.