Nonconventional synthesis and characterization of ultrahigh-molar-mass polyacrylamides

In spite of the significant progresses in the field of replaceable sieving matrices for separating DNA in capillary electrophoresis (CE), an intense research activity is still going on to improve the separation of large size DNA sequencing fragments. There are evidences, both from experimental and theoretical sides that the resolution of these fragments, at the single base, requires the use of sieving matrices comprised of long chain linear polymers. In the separation of DNA fragments by CE are of upmost importance: (i) the complete solubility of the polymer, (ii) the linearity of the chain, (iii) the achievement of ultrahigh viscosity in dilute solutions. The aim of this work is the synthesis of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polymers which possess the three requirements mentioned above by employing a nonconventional method. We demonstrate that the sieving performance of polyacrylamide is directly correlated to its intrinsic viscosity.