POTATO X VIRUS: PART III. LIGHT SCATTERING STUDIES

Abstract

Light scattering studies were made on a non-aggregated potato X virus preparation. The data are consistent with a cylindrical model 5400 Å long having a molecular weight of 35 × 10⁶. The weight average length of 4700 Å was determined from the high angle measurements. The low value of the weight average length, as compared with the length of the most frequent particle from electron microscopy, is interpreted in terms of a slight tendency to aggregate side-by-side. The insignificant extent of this aggregation is demonstrated by a direct evaluation of the weight average diameter. The value of 109 Å obtained is only 9% higher than the number average diameter reported in the literature.