Certain naphthalene derivatives, such as the dansyl group, exhibit a weak yellow

Question

Certain naphthalene derivatives, such as the dansyl group, exhibit a weak yellow fluorescence when they are in a highly polar environment (such as water) and an intense blue fluorescence when they are in a markedly nonpolar environment (such as hexane). The binding of E-dansyl-lysine to specific antibody is accompanied by a marked increase in its fluorescence intensity and a shift in color from yellow to blue.

What does this finding reveal about the hapten-antibody complex in terms of hydrophobic interactions?

Explanation / Answer

The fluorescence enhancement and the shift to blue indicate that water is largely excluded from the combining site when the hapten is bound. Hydrophobic interactions contribute significantly to the formation of most antigen-antibody complexes.

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