Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
11:38
CN-GELFrEE - Clear Native Gel-eluted Liquid Fraction Entrapment Electrophoresis
Published on: February 29, 2016
Pluronic copolymer liquid crystals: unique, replaceable media for capillary gel electrophoresis
R L Rill1, Y Liu, D H Van Winkle
1Department of Chemistry and Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306-4390, USA.
Journal of Chromatography. A
|October 9, 1998
Summary
Pluronic F127 liquid crystals offer a novel medium for capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE), enabling separation of diverse molecules through unique sieving and hydrophobic interaction mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Separations Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Pluronic copolymers, like Pluronic F127, form thermoreversible liquid crystalline phases.
- These phases consist of spherical micelles with hydrated poly(ethylene oxide) tails and hydrophobic poly(propylene oxide) cores.
- They present an alternative to traditional entangled polymer gels for capillary electrophoresis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of Pluronic F127 liquid crystals as a medium for capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE).
- To explore the separation mechanisms of various analytes within this novel matrix.
- To evaluate the potential of Pluronic F127 in advanced separations science.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of Pluronic F127 solutions at concentrations of 18-30% in water.
- Induction of liquid crystalline phase formation by increasing temperature (> 20°C).
- Application of capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) using the Pluronic F127 liquid crystal as the separation medium.
Main Results:
- Pluronic F127 solutions transition from liquid to a gel-like liquid crystalline phase with cubic symmetry upon heating.
- Effective separation of diverse analytes including nucleoside monophosphates, organic dyes, oligonucleotides, DNA fragments, and supercoiled plasmids was achieved.
- Separation mechanisms involve molecular sieving around micelles and potentially hydrophobic interaction electrophoresis for smaller molecules.
Conclusions:
- Pluronic F127 liquid crystals are effective and versatile media for CGE, offering unique separation capabilities.
- The separation mechanisms differ from conventional polymer gels, involving squeezing between polymer chains or partitioning.
- These findings open new avenues for separations science utilizing self-assembling polymer systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:27SDS-PAGE
Gel electrophoresis is a method that separates biological macromolecules like nucleic acids or proteins by forcing them to pass through a gel matrix under an electric field.
A variation of gel electrophoresis, termed polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), is commonly used for separating proteins according to their molecular size by passing them through a polyacrylamide gel. Because of the varying charges associated with amino acid side chains, PAGE can be used to separate intact proteins...
A variation of gel electrophoresis, termed polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), is commonly used for separating proteins according to their molecular size by passing them through a polyacrylamide gel. Because of the varying charges associated with amino acid side chains, PAGE can be used to separate intact proteins...
01:22Two-dimensional Gel Electrophoresis
Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis is a high-resolution protein separation method first introduced by O' Farrell and Klose in 1975. This method involves protein separation by two dimensions, mass and charge, making it more accurate than one-dimensional gel electrophoresis.
The first dimension separation uses the isoelectric focusing or IEF technique performed on immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips that separate proteins according to their isoelectric points.
Biological samples, such as cells...
The first dimension separation uses the isoelectric focusing or IEF technique performed on immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips that separate proteins according to their isoelectric points.
Biological samples, such as cells...
01:11High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Introduction
High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), formerly referred to as High-pressure liquid chromatography, is a powerful technique used to separate, identify, and quantify components in complex mixtures. The term "high pressure" refers to using high pressure to push the liquid mobile phase through the tightly packed columns.
In HPLC, two phases play a critical role in the separation process:
In HPLC, two phases play a critical role in the separation process:
01:05High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Elution Process
In High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), the elution process is critical to the separation of analytes and the quality of chromatographic results. Elution describes how compounds move through the column and separate based on their interactions with the mobile and stationary phases. This process determines the resolution, peak shape, and retention times in the chromatogram, which are essential for identifying and quantifying components in complex mixtures. Understanding the elution...
01:20Electrophoresis: Overview
Electrophoresis is a powerful analytical separation technique that relies on the differential migration of charged species when subjected to an electric field. The core strength of electrophoresis lies in its ability to separate high-molecular-weight species in complex mixtures. It has found widespread use in biochemistry, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry, allowing the separation of compounds like amino acids, nucleotides, carbohydrates, and proteins with excellent resolution.
There...
There...
01:30Capillary Electrophoresis: Applications
Capillary electrophoretic separations offer various modes, each with unique applications. These modes include capillary zone electrophoresis, capillary gel electrophoresis, capillary array electrophoresis, capillary isoelectric focusing, capillary isotachophoresis, micellar electrokinetic chromatography, and capillary electrochromatography.
Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separates ionic components based on their electrophoretic mobility. It has been used to separate proteins, amino acids,...
Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separates ionic components based on their electrophoretic mobility. It has been used to separate proteins, amino acids,...