What is the Difference Between Specificity and Selectivity?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The terms specificity and selectivity are often used in the context of analytical methods, enzyme-substrate interactions, and antibody-antigen binding. Although they are related, they have distinct meanings:
- Specificity refers to the ability of a method or molecule to assess or bind to a specific component in the presence of other components that may be expected to be present. In the context of antibodies, specificity is defined by the epitope the antibody binds to. For example, an enzyme is specific if it acts on a particular substrate.
- Selectivity is the ability to differentiate the analyte(s) of interest from other components in the sample. In the case of antibodies, selectivity is maximal when the epitope is only present on the target protein, and the antibody does not cross-react with any off-target protein. Selectivity requires the identification of all components in a mixture.
In summary, specificity focuses on the ability to identify or bind to a specific component, while selectivity is concerned with the ability to differentiate between components in a mixture.
Comparative Table: Specificity vs Selectivity
The main difference between specificity and selectivity lies in their definitions and applications in analytical chemistry. Here is a table comparing the two concepts:
| Specificity | Selectivity |
|---|---|
| The ability to assess unequivocally the analyte in the presence of components that may interfere with its measurement. | The ability to differentiate the analyte(s) of interest and the internal standard (IS) in a mixture. |
| Measures the degree of interference by other substances present in a sample during the analysis. | Refers to the method's ability to respond to several different analytes in the mixture. |
| Important for identification methods, as it ensures that only the analyte in the sample is measured. | Used in bioanalytical method validation and enzyme-substrate interactions. |
In summary, specificity is the ability to identify and measure a specific analyte in the presence of interfering substances, while selectivity is the ability to differentiate between the analyte of interest and other components in a mixture.
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