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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Rapid Colorimetric Assays to Qualitatively Distinguish RNA and DNA in Biomolecular Samples
Published on: February 4, 2013
[Determination of deoxyribonucleic acid with neutral red by resonance light scattering method]
1Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China.
Abstract:
The method is based on the enhancement effect of the resonance light scattering (RLS) due to the long range assembly of neutral red (NR) on the molecular surface of DNA. The RLS of NR is greatly enhanced by DNA in the pH range of 5.0-7.0. The enhanced intensity of RLS at 335.0 nm is proportional to the concentration of DNA in the range 0-600 ng.mL-1. The detection limit is 12.8 ng.mL-1. This method is simple, rapid and has been applied to the determination of DNA in mixed samples with satisfactory results.

