Chapter two - Basic principles of capillary gel electrophoresis

Abstract

This chapter is devoted to the basic principles of capillary gel electrophoresis with the corresponding theoretical treatments on the fundamentals of the electromigration process of biopolymers. Efficiency, selectivity, and resolution terms are all thoroughly conferred. Band broadening in capillary gel electrophoresis is an important issue influencing separation performance and is discussed accordingly. Unlike in slab gel electrophoresis, the very high applied electric field strengths of dozens of kilovolts generate unwanted Joule heating that should be dissipated to maintain the high performance of the approach. Utilization of complexation-based equilibriums by various forms of affinity additives (free, chemically linked, or physically trapped) is also discussed as this phenomenon can significantly improve separation selectivity.