electrophoresis

enUK

electrophoresis

(ĭlĕk'trōfərē`sĭs): see colloidcolloid
[Gr.,=gluelike], a mixture in which one substance is divided into minute particles (called colloidal particles) and dispersed throughout a second substance. The mixture is also called a colloidal system, colloidal solution, or colloidal dispersion.
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Electrophoresis

(also cataphoresis), the migration of colloidal particles or ionized macromolecules under the influence of an external electric field. Electrophoresis was discovered by F. F. Reuss in 1807; it is regarded as the most important electrokinetic phenomenon. An approximate relation between the velocity v of the moving particles and the electric field strength E is given by Smoluchowski’s equation:

where η is the viscosity of the medium, D is the dielectric constant, and £ is the electrokinetic potential.

Electrophoresis is used in electrochemistry to study the electric double layer and ion adsorption on a surface; it also has medical applications. In industry it is used to isolate natural rubber from latex, purify water, and separate kaolin from sand. It is used in biochemistry to analyze, separate, and purify biopolymers (chiefly proteins), bacterial cells, viruses, amino acids, and vitamins.

The practical application of electrophoresis began after the Swedish scientist A. Tiselius designed a special apparatus for the moving-boundary electrophoresis of proteins in solution (1937). Electrophoretic methods involving the use of inert carriers, such as paper and gels, have gained the widest application. They have been given the general designation of zone electrophoresis because fractions of the separate substances form separate immiscible zones in the carrier. Electrophoresis is frequently combined with other methods of separating organic compounds, for example, with chromatography. A technique has been developed for concentrating the electrophoretic zones of biopolymers in gels, which increases the resolving power of the method (disk electrophoresis). The combining of the antigen-antibody reaction with electrophoresis was the basis for the creation of immunoelectrophoresis. Electrophoretic analysis of biological fluids, such as blood serum (used primarily to study proteins), is widely used in the diagnosis of many diseases.

REFERENCES

Larskii, E. G. Melody zonal’nogo elektroforeza. Moscow, 1971.
Dukhin, S. S., and B. V. Deriagin. Elektroforez. Moscow, 1976.

N. N. CHERNOV

electrophoresis

[i‚lek·trō·fə′rē·səs] (physical chemistry) An electrochemical process in which colloidal particles or macromolecules with a net electric charge migrate in a solution under the influence of an electric current. Also known as cataphoresis.

electrophoresis

The science of objects moving in a fluid when an electric charge is applied. Electrophoresis is the basis of E Ink's electronic paper display technology (see E Ink).

electrophoresis

enUK

electrophoresis

[e-lek″tro-fo-re´sis] the movement of charged particles suspended in a liquid on various media (e.g., paper, gel, liquid) under the influence of an applied electric field. adj., adj electrophoret´ic. The various charged particles of a particular substance migrate in a definite and characteristic direction—toward either the anode or the cathode—and at a characteristic speed. This principle has been widely used in the separation of proteins and is therefore valuable in the study of diseases in which the serum and plasma proteins are altered. The principle also has been applied in the separation and identification of various types of human hemoglobin.

e·lec·tro·pho·re·sis

(ē-lek'trō-fōr'ē-sis), The movement of particles in an electric field toward an electric pole (anode or cathode); used to separate and purify biomolecules.
See also: electropherogram. Synonym(s): dielectrolysis, ionophoresis, phoresis (1) [electro- + G. phorēsis, a carrying]

electrophoresis

(ĭ-lĕk′trō-fə-rē′sĭs)n.1. The migration of charged colloidal particles or molecules through a stationary medium under the influence of an applied electric field usually provided by immersed electrodes. Also called cataphoresis.2. A method of separating substances, especially proteins, and analyzing molecular structure based on the rate of movement of each component in a colloidal suspension while under the influence of an electric field.

e·lec′tro·pho·ret′ic (-rĕt′ĭk) adj.

electrophoresis

Lab methods A method of separating large molecules–eg, DNA fragments or proteins from a mixture of similar molecules, by passing an electric current through a medium containing the mixture; each molecule travels through the medium at a different rate, depending on its electrical charge and size; agarose and acrylamide gels are media commonly used electrophoretic media

e·lec·tro·pho·re·sis

(ĕ-lek'trō-fŏr-ē'sis) The movement of particles in an electric field toward anode or cathode.
See also: electropherogram
Synonym(s): ionophoresis, phoresis (1) .

electrophoresis

Separation of charged particles in a solution (ions) by the application of an electric current. This can be done in a thin layer of solution on paper or in a gel. Ions of low weight move more quickly than those of high weight, so separation occurs and can be demonstrated by staining. The method is widely used in medicine to identify and measure the proteins present in the blood including the ANTIBODIES (IMMUNOGLOBULINS). It is used to identify the various abnormal haemoglobins causing SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA and other similar conditions. It is extensively used in genetic work such as DNA fingerprinting. Electrophoresis is remarkably sensitive. Pieces of DNA, for instance, that differ in length from each other by only one base pair can be separated into discrete bands by this method.

electrophoresis

a method for separating particles with different electrical charges, for example, amino acids, peptides, proteins and nucleic acids. The apparatus consists of a supporting medium soaked in a suitable buffer with an electrical field set up across it. The mixture to be separated (e.g. blood proteins) is placed on the supporting medium. The components with different charges then separate from each other and their eventual position is compared with the position of known standards.

Electrophoresis

Use of an electrical field to separate proteins in a mixture (such as blood or urine), on the basis of the size and electrical charge of the proteins.Mentioned in: AIDS Tests, Multiple Myeloma, Protein Electrophoresis

e·lec·tro·pho·re·sis

(ĕ-lek'trō-fŏr-ē'sis) The movement of particles in an electric field toward anode or cathode.
Synonym(s): ionophoresis, phoresis (1) .

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REFERENCES

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Synonyms for electrophoresis

noun the motion of charged particles in a colloid under the influence of an electric field

Synonyms

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