Article
Article
Precipitin
Article By:
Raum, Donald Center for Blood Research, Boston, Massachusetts.
Last reviewed:January 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.542800
The visible result of the chemical interaction of antigen and antibody. Such precipitate was first described in 1897, and it was later noted that the optimal ratio of antigen to antibody concentrations resulted in the visible precipitate. Not all antibodies will result in precipitation, yet they may participate in agglutination reactions or add onto particulate antigens, and evidence for their occurrence together with precipitating antibody can be obtained for most sera. Precipitins may be noted qualitatively or be quantified by noting the end-point dilution (titer) of serum required to give a precipitate at the threshold of visibility, or the amount of antibody may be determined in milligrams or micrograms by analysis of the precipitate with correction for the antigen contained therein. See also: Antibody; Antigen; Precipitin test
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
