A simple device for the continuous deceleration of eluant flow in preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Abstract

A simple, mechanical device for the continuous deceleration of eluant flow in preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was constructed, tested, and found to provide an advantage in eluate concentration over that obtained at constant elution flow. The device provides an initial elution flow (1 ml/min corresponding to one elution chamber volume per minute for the particular apparatus used) at the time of emergence of the “front” in the elution chamber (relative electrophoretic mobility, R f = 1.0). At all later elution times, until an R f of 0.1 is reached, elution flow is decelerated continuously in relation to the R f of the eluted fractions. Thus, the peak height of elute fractions of R f 1.0 to 0.1 would theoretically be equal. Although this theoretical performance is not reached in practice, it is approximated to a sufficient degree to make the deceleration device a useful accessory to preparative elution PAGE.