Lab 2: The dye lab: separation of molecules using agarose gel electrophoresis

on what basis does electrophoresis separate molecules?

charge, size and shape

electrophoresis is particularly useful in separation of what three biomolecules?

DNA, RNA and proteins

what is the agarose gel made of?

algae

the gel is submerged in:

buffer filled chamber which contains electrodes

what substance is used to make the samples denser?

glycerol or sucrose

why do the samples need to be made more dense than the buffer?

the dense samples sink through the buffer and remain in the wells

towards which way will negatively charged molecules migrate

towards positive electrode

which way will positively charged molecules migrate

towards the negative electrode

what is the purpose of buffer salts?

serve to make water a better conductor of electricity and control the pH

why is pH important for the buffer?

charge and stability

what characteristic of agarose makes it useful for electrophoresis?

it contains microscopic pores that smaller molecules have an easier time moving through it

given two molecules of the same molecular weight and shape, which one will migrate faster?

the one with the greater charge