A small globular protein has an effective radius

PHYSICS · Subjective · Fermi University Physics · Biophysics & Medical Physics · Physical foundations of the living cell · Physical foundations of the living cell

Life at Thermal Energy, Ch Random walks, diffusion and the crowded cell

Problem

a = 1.5\,\mathrm{nm}

. It diffuses in water at

25^\circ\mathrm{C}

, where the viscosity is

\eta = 0.89\,\mathrm{mPa\,s}

and

k_BT = 4.11\,\mathrm{pN\,nm}

. Model the protein as a sphere. Predict the protein's diffusion coefficient using the Stokes-Einstein relation.

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