Biophysical techniques are methods used for gaining information about biological systems on an atomic or molecular level. They overlap with methods from other branches of science.

Main biophysical techniques are:

• Spectrophotometry, the measurement of the transmission of light through different solutions or substances at different wavelengths of light. Colorimetry is an example of this.
• Circular dichroism, a method for detecting chiral groups in molecules, especially to determine the secondary structure of proteins
• Fluorescence spectroscopy, which can be used to detect structural rearrangements, as well as interactions of biomolecules
• Microscopy, for example using laser instruments for scanning and transmission.
• Electron microscopy, to gain high-resolution images of subcellular structures
• Ultracentrifugation, which gives information on the shape and mass of molecules
• NMR spectroscopy, giving information about the exact structure of biological molecules, as well as on dynamics
• X-ray crystallography, another method to gain access to the exact structure of molecules with atomic resolution
• Gel electrophoresis, which is used to determine the mass, the charge and the interactions of biological molecules
• various chromatography technique, which are used for the purification and analysis of biological molecules

See also: biophysics