How to calculate DNA concentration?

The DNA concentration can be determined by measuring the absorbance of the sample at 260nm in spectrophotometer and use the Beer-Lambert's law to calculate the concentration. In order to do so, you would need to determine the extinction coefficient of the DNA given in cm^-1M^-1

Average Extinction Coefficient for bases in different nucleic acids:

ds DNA:  Ec=6600 cm^-1M^-1, MW=330

ss DNA: Ec=8919 cm^-1M^-1, MW=330

RNA: Ec=8250 cm^-1M^-1, MW=340

Here is the way to calculate DNA Concentration:

dsDNA: 50 μg/mL O.D.=1; Con.(μg/mL)=Abs.x 50 μg/mL

ss DNA: 50 μg/mL O.D.=1.35; Con.(μg/mL)=(Abs./1.35)x 50 μg/mL

RNA: 50 μg/mL O.D.=1.21; Con.(μg/mlL=(Abs./1.21) x 50 μg/mL

Use our online DNA Concentration Calculator to determine the concentration of DNA solutions using absorbance reading at 260 nm. The concentration of any nucleotide can be calculated by inputting the nucleic acid sequence.