Abstrakt

Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET): A commentary on the experimental tests for judging the applicability of a popular technique.

K. Bijan Paul *

Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a popular spectroscopic tool applied in a vast spectrum of research activities. The technique of FRET is often found to be applied in estimation of donor (D) acceptor (A) separation in different types of systems under experiment, while remaining oblivion to the applicability of the technique at all. Only few reports are found to be concerned about establishing the operation of FRET prior to application of the technique. The aim of this commentary is to provide a critical analysis on the experimental tests for judging the applicability of this popular technique. Finally, a focus is rendered on the discussion of a number of potential and accessible experimental tools that can be exploited to decipher the authenticity of occurrence of FRET under certain given experimental conditions. Efforts are also made in making the discussion concise and general without putting emphasis on any particular experimental results. This commentary will hopefully contribute to augment a more appropriate use of the beautiful technique of FRET in various aspects of fluorescence spectroscopy.