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Calorimeters designed to determine the heat exchange and other thermodynamic parameter (i.e., related to the heat of reaction) values during a titration assay. These instruments typically consist of a unit (i.e., the calorimeter) including two small-volume (frequently in the order of micro- or nano-liter) identical sample and reference cells, an electronic heating and cooling system, and a detachable syringe assembly to deliver the titrant into the sample cell. The power needed to keep both cells at the same temperature (the titration may be endothermic or exothermic) is measured during the titration process. The data is obtained as a series of pulses of power that are processed using a dedicated software to obtain the total heat exchanged per each injection of titrant; further evaluation provides the thermodynamic parameters (e.g., temperature, entropy, enthalpy) of the reaction under test. Isothermal titration calorimeters are mainly used in biochemistry tests (e.g., to determine the substrates binding to enzymes); they are also used in pharmacology to assess new potential medications.
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