Kilodaltony

Kilodaltony is a unit of mass equal to one thousand daltons. The dalton (Da) is a unit of mass commonly used in chemistry and physics, particularly for atoms and molecules. It is defined as 1/12 of the mass of an unbound atom of carbon-12 in its ground state. Therefore, one kilodalton (kDa) is equal to 1000 daltons. This unit is frequently used to express the molecular weight of proteins, which are large biomolecules. For example, a protein with a molecular weight of 50,000 daltons would be described as having a mass of 50 kilodaltons. The prefix "kilo" signifies a factor of 1000. This unit is convenient for expressing the sizes of macromolecules, where individual daltons would result in very large numbers. It is important to distinguish kilodaltons from kilodaltons (which is not a standard unit but might be inferred from context in some informal discussions) or other units of mass.