New Approach to Continuous Electrophoresis

Journal/Book: Reprinted from SCIENCE March 28 1958 Vol. 127 No. 3300 pages 697-698.. 1958;

Abstract: School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Cornell University Ithaca New York Electrophoresis has long been a powerful tool in the laboratory for separating proteins amino acids colloids and other complex mixtures of electrically charged particles. Though various types of apparatus are in use the basic principle of operation is the same; individual components separate by virtue of differences in direction and rate of migration in electrical fields of up to several hundred volts. The recent trend toward continuous electrophoresis as exemplified by the work of Durrum (1) Brattsten (2) and Bier (3) suggests that what was mainly an analytical method some 20 years ago may emerge as a preparative technique in its own right. Indeed our whole concern was with the development of large-scale apparatus such as might be used to fractionate mixtures at the rate of liters per hour (4). A central problem in electrophoresis is the remixing of partially separated fractions or layers by local density differences or thermal convection of the liquid as a whole. To cope with this problem electrophoresis is often performed in anticonvection media such as filter paper starch or glass powder. Unfortunately all such solids reduce capacity by their presence in the fractionation space; and they introduce such further complications as endosmosis evaporation adsorption and "fanning" or "packing diffusion." In the hands of Brattsten and co-workers (5) these side effects have been minimized but truly large-scale operation by their technique seems remote. . . .

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