Preparation of polyacrylamide gel‐filled capillaries for capillary electrophoresis

Abstract

Abstract A procedure for preparing polyacrylamide gel‐filled capillaries, for use in capillary gel electrophoresis, is decribed. The method involves the principle of isotachophoretic polymerization, in which the polymerization initiator is introduced by electromigration to promote gradual polymerization of the acrylamide in a sequential manner along the length of the capillary. This procedure has been found to be superior to other methods for polymerizing gels inside of small‐bore ( i.e. , 50‐μm i.d.) capillaries, because of the reduced formation of bubbles in the gels during polymerization. The method described is simple, reproducible, and several capillaries can be prepared simultaneously. A preliminary result showing the use of 50‐μm i. d. gel‐filled capillaries for SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins is shown.